Ambitions Justified: How Saudi Arabia Created a Global Tourism Destination in Less Than Ten Years

The tourism destination needs transport links to maintain visitor numbers and so the country’s aviation sector is seeing significant structural progress to support its ambitions.

Leading this shift is Riyadh Air, the PIF-owned flagship carrier, which has now moved from teasing brand announcements to direct flights. Following a non-commercial readiness phase in October 2025, when its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft made test flights at London Heathrow Airport, the airline officially opened public ticket sales in mid-2026. Riyadh Air’s first commercial scheduled passenger service was launched on 10 June 2026, with a direct flight from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to London Heathrow Airport aboard newly delivered dedicated Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. This first route was immediately followed by domestic flights to Jeddah, regional flights to Dubai and Cairo, and long-haul flights to international hubs including Madrid, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai. Working alongside national airline Saudia, which is revamping and restructuring its own fleet, Riyadh Air is rapidly moving towards its goal of connecting the capital to more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030, building on the development of King Salman International Airport. The new airport is scheduled to begin initial operations and open new passenger facilities in 2029. The new airport is planned to be one of the world’s largest airport development projects (integrating the existing King Khalid International Airport), designed to handle up to 120 million passengers per year by 2030 and 185 million passengers per year once the master plan is fully completed by 2050.

Luxury overland travel also takes shape with the announcement of the first five routes Desert Dreamthe first luxury train in Saudi Arabia, developed by the Italian firm Arsenale SpA in partnership with Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR). The 14-coach, 33-compartment train, scheduled to launch by the end of 2026, will carry 66 passengers on a 1,300mm route from Riyadh to the northern desert regions.

Connectivity within the Greater Middle East has also improved due to regulatory cooperation. The approval of the GCC Grand Tours visa, a single tourist visa for Gulf Cooperation Council member countries, is intended to streamline multi-destination itineraries across the region, although it is not yet open for public use. Similar to the European Schengen visa, this system will allow international business visitors and tourists to travel through Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman under a single entry permit.