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The Ministry of Commerce bulletin documented a 29 percent increase in active commercial registrations for tourist accommodation facility management to 20,560 in the third quarter of 2026. This marked a rise from 15,965 registrations recorded in the third quarter of 2025. Makkah Al-Mukarramah accounted for the largest share with 8,075 registrations according to the ministry data. Riyadh followed with 7,110 while Madinah stood at 1,988. The Eastern Province and Asir regions recorded 1,456 and 587 registrations respectively.
The same Ministry of Commerce publication indicated that registrations for the organization of conferences and exhibitions grew 15 percent to 32,511 in the third quarter. This compared with 28,330 in the year-ago period. The bulletin presented figures for multiple tourism-related sectors without additional interpretation. The data forms part of ongoing monitoring of commercial sector performance.
According to the General Authority for Statistics tourism establishments report for the second quarter of 2026, licensed hospitality facilities totaled 6,278 with a combined 622,898 rooms. This reflected an increase from earlier quarters as the authority tracked expansion in hotels, serviced apartments and other accommodation. Employment in tourism activities reached 1,069,120 people during the period, the statistical office figures show.
A 2026 Knight Frank report on hospitality and religious tourism in Saudi Arabia placed the current hotel room inventory at 176,260 with 35 percent falling into luxury and upper upscale categories. The consultancy reported an additional 105,225 rooms under construction or in advanced planning stages. Makkah and Madinah lead the hospitality landscape in the kingdom per the assessment.
The Knight Frank document noted that Saudi tourism GDP grew 7.4 percent exceeding both regional and global averages. Visitor numbers for the first quarter of 2026 reached 37.2 million with spending totaling 82.7 billion riyals. Average hotel occupancy stood at 63.4 percent between January and April with a mean daily rate of 754 riyals.
The Ministry of Commerce issues its business sector bulletin quarterly to provide updates on commercial registrations across various industries. The third-quarter edition highlighted the sustained momentum in tourism-related business formations. This data supports tracking progress in sectors aligned with national economic objectives.
