Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH – Saudi visitors to the United Kingdom have spent nearly half a billion riyals (SR445 million) in just three months, an average of SR21,000 per person. This information is contained in the recent statistical data, released by VisitBritain, the official website of the British Tourist Authority.

The number of Saudis who visited Britain through all entry points reached 23,769 people of both sexes during the first quarter of 2019, while the reasons for the visit ranged between vacation, business, study and other purposes, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

The figures showed that the number of Saudi women who visited Britain during the same period accounted for 7,366, and they spent about £24.9 million (SR114 million). These women’s ages ranged between 16 and 65 years. It was also revealed that the total number of nights spent by Saudis in Britain during the period reached 352,257, and these include 272,816 nights spent by men, and 79,791 nights spent by women.

Looking at the statistical figures and comparing them to the same period last year, it was found that the number of Saudi women visitors to Britain jumped by 76.6 percent over the same period last year, while their spending shot up by 62.8 percent, and the number of nights spent soared by 224.9 percent.

In the meantime, there was a significant decline in the number of visits and the nights spent as well as the money spent by men. The number of their visits to the country decreased by 34.7 percent to 16,403 from the previous year of 2018, while their spending and the number of nights spent decreased by 20.6 percent and 56.6 percent respectively. Their total spending amounted to SR331 million, the figures indicated.