RIYADH: The Kingdom achieved a 22.9 percent growth in spending by visitors from abroad during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023, with total spending exceeding SR45 billion ($12 billion). It also achieved a surplus in the travel category estimated at SR24 billion, with a growth rate of more than 46 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Spending by travelers from the Kingdom abroad was estimated at about SR21 billion during the same period, according to preliminary data from the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia. The increase in spending by visitors from abroad is part of a series of successes achieved by the tourism sector in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia ranked first on the UN tourism list for the growth rate of international tourists and the growth rate of tourism revenues among the top major tourist destinations globally in 2023 compared to 2019.