The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) said the number of hotels increased by 6 percent in 2017 to reach 2,036 compared to 1,908 in 2016.

Furnished apartments were recorded at 6,940 and hospital entities amounted to 506,716 rooms this year, a 17 percent increase compared to 421,074 rooms in 2016.

The annual SCTH survey over tourist establishments revealed the number of travel agencies in the Kingdom went up to 2,294 this year while tourism-trip organizers increased by 30 percent compared to last year to reach 519 in total.

The number of tourist guides reached 461 while the number of resorts amounted to 36.

Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s busiest city for hotel construction with almost 50 hotel projects currently underway, according to a report.

The 2017 Saudi Arabia Hotel Construction Overview report by TOPHOTELPROJECTS, prepared for The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, found that the Kingdom’s capital city is preparing to add 48 new properties to its already vast hotel portfolio.

Riyadh leads the hotel boom closely followed by Jeddah. Across the country, the report reveals that 170 hotels and 60,395 rooms are currently in various stages in the construction pipeline.

Hilton is noted as one of the top hotel operators in the country. Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences is one of three new hotels the brand will bring to the Kingdom in 2017.

Kamel Ajami, vice president (KSA operations) at Hilton, said: “Our presence in Saudi Arabia goes back over 20 years. We have ambitious plans for expansion with up to 29 hotels in the pipeline and by the end of 2018, I expect to oversee double the number of hotels than I do at present.”

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