Saudi tourism ministry launches AI vision
New platform TourismX brings AI tools to tourism operators
#SaudiArabia #tourism — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has launched the AI Tourism Vision, a strategic framework intended to embed artificial intelligence across the country’s tourism sector. The AI framework was announced together with TourismX, a global platform offering AI tools for hotel design, menu creation, tour guiding and business operations. The news follows a record year for tourism, with the Kingdom recording 123 million inbound and domestic tourists in 2025, a 6 percent increase on 2024, generating SAR 304 billion ($81b) in total tourism spending. The government recently designated 2026 as Saudi Arabia’s official Year of Artificial Intelligence.
SO WHAT? — The new AI Tourism Vision and the launch of TourismX comes after two years of development and digital transformation at the Ministry of Tourism. The ministry signed an agreement with Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) in 2024 to establish an AI centre of excellence. It has also supported SDAIA in moving the tourism sectors onto the National Data Governance Platform and compliance with the Personal Data Protection Law. The new strategy aims to embed AI tools directly into hotel operations, tour guiding and investor services. As one of the country’s strongest non-oil sectors, the ministry aims to boost the tourism sector’s efficiency and maximise receipts.
KEY POINTS:
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism announced the AI Tourism Vision, a strategic framework aimed at improving tourism experiences, operational productivity, and investor and professional support through artificial intelligence.
The Ministry launched TourismX, a global AI platform for tourism, with a beta version offering tools including Hotel Interior AI Designer, MenuCraft AI, AI Identity Designer, AI Hotel Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Generator, Tour Guide AI Assistant, and AI Tour Script Generator.
The Ministry also launched the beta Saudi MT App, a unified platform for investors, tourism business owners and tour guides, supported by an AI assistant called Noura.
A new MT Developer Portal provides APIs and digital integration tools for developers and technology partners building tourism applications in the Kingdom.
The launch builds on the Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism, adopted by the 26th General Assembly of UN Tourism. The declaration called for accelerating AI adoption to reshape the future of global tourism.
Saudi Arabia recorded around 123 million inbound and domestic tourists in 2025, up roughly 6 percent on 2024. These include 29.3 million inbound and 93.3 million domestic tourists, according to the ministry’s Annual Statistical Report 2025.
Total tourism spending reached approximately SAR 304 billion ($81b) in 2025, a 7 percent increase on 2024. Inbound tourism contributed SAR 176.6 billion ($47b), while domestic tourism contributed SAR 127.1 billion ($33.83b).
The vision builds on existing Ministry digital tools including the Smart Inspector, used during the 2026 Hajj season, and the Smart Check-In tool, which supported pilgrim accommodation logistics.
ZOOM OUT — The Riyadh Declaration was adopted at the 26th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly held in Riyadh last November. It sets out a 50-year roadmap for the sector built around sustainability, inclusion and AI-powered innovation. According to Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism H.E Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the declaration marks a transition from commitments to delivery, tied to mobilising investment, digitising SMEs and training tourism workers. The same assembly also saw the launch of TOURISE, a new Saudi-led initiative aimed at driving private and public sector collaboration on tourism innovation. The AI Tourism Vision effectively turns one strand of that declaration, AI integration, into a concrete national programme.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: SPA, Ministry of Tourism
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