More tourists, less revenue
The Ministry of Tourism released its annual report on January 24 during its yearly meeting, showing growth continued for the sector in 2016, while launching a campaign to eliminate unlicensed tourist establishments that ministry officials claim slowed revenue collection last year. International tourism arrivals increased by 5 percent to surpass the 5 million mark in 2016, according to the report. However, total tourism revenue was down from the $3.5 billion recorded in 2015, amounting to $3 billion, or 13 percent of GDP. Tourism business registrations increased by 5 percent while revenue from tourism licences inched up just 1 percent, the report showed. By the end of 2016, there were 647 hotels, 1,996 guesthouses, 1,844 restaurants, 588 tourist agencies and 5,088 guides registered in the Kingdom, according to the figures.
