What Causes Saudi Arabia to Beat UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain with Explosive Sixty One Percent Growth to Categorized 3rd in International Tourism Order

Saudi Arabia spans an enormous 2.15 million square kilometers, making it the largest country in the Middle East and the 12th largest globally. This expansive landmass allows the Kingdom to develop large-scale tourism projects like NEOM, The Red Sea Project, and AlUla, which require extensive land and natural resources. This is a key factor that sets Saudi Arabia apart from UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia has leveraged its large landmass to develop multi-regional tourism projects. For instance, NEOM covers over 26,500 sq km, offering futuristic attractions, adventure tourism, and technology-driven smart city developments. Similarly, The Red Sea Project utilizes Saudi Arabia's natural islands to build luxury resorts, offering eco-friendly tourism experiences. Unlike smaller Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia's land advantage allows it to create multiple world-class tourism hubs.

Qatar is even smaller, covering only 11,581 sq km, making it one of the smallest countries in the Gulf. Due to space constraints, Qatar cannot undertake large-scale developments like The Red Sea Project or NEOM. Instead, it relies on urban developments like The Pearl-Qatar, which is smaller in scale compared to Saudi Arabia's transformative projects. Qatar's space limitations prevent it from executing multi-regional tourism initiatives like Saudi Arabia's nationwide development strategy.

Saudi Arabia is channeling its vast financial resources through its Public Investment Fund (PIF), which provides full financial backing for major projects like NEOM, The Red Sea Project, and Diriyah. Unlike other Gulf countries that depend on private investors or public-private partnerships, Saudi Arabia can directly fund large-scale developments, giving it more control over timelines and execution. Projects like NEOM, valued at over $500 billion, are being developed as futuristic, smart, and sustainable cities, while the Red Sea Project aims to position the Kingdom as a leader in eco-tourism. This approach allows Saudi Arabia to develop multiple large-scale projects simultaneously, unlike its neighbors, who typically focus on one large initiative at a time.