Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism published its 2025 statistical report in June, and the headline numbers are big. There were about 123 million domestic and international tourists in 2025, up about 6% on 2024, and total tourism spending reached a record SAR 304 billion, up 7% (Arab News).
Look under the headline and the growth is mostly domestic. The Kingdom had 93.3 million domestic tourists, up 8.3% on the year, while inbound tourists dipped 1.6% to 29.3 million (DataSaudi). Domestic tourists spent SAR 127.1 billion (Arab News).
I founded TheLoyaltyCo, and we build loyalty programmes and guest apps for hospitality groups across the GCC. A lot of UAE groups are opening in Riyadh, Jeddah and AlUla, or thinking about it. For them, these numbers carry a clear message. The guest who will make or break a new Saudi venue is very likely to be Saudi.
A domestic guest is a repeat guest
International visitors matter, and Saudi Arabia is working hard to bring more of them in. But a guest from Riyadh who travels to Jeddah for a long weekend, or to AlUla for the winter season, can come back again and again. In 2025, visiting friends and relatives was the biggest reason for domestic trips, with 37.7 million tourists, 40.4% of the total (DataSaudi).
That is a guest with family and friends in the city, who eats out in groups and can return many times a year. It is exactly the guest a loyalty programme should be built around.
The big programmes are already there
The global hotel groups have noticed. Marriott Bonvoy members can earn and redeem points on dining at participating restaurants and lounges in Saudi Arabia without staying at the hotel (More Cravings by Marriott Bonvoy). Dining loyalty in the Kingdom is no longer an empty space.
For an independent or regional group, matching that on points makes little sense. What you can do is offer things a hotel programme cannot, and design for the Saudi guest from the start.
What I would build for a Saudi launch
Arabic first, not translated later. The app, the sign-up screen, the messages and the staff scripts should all work properly in Arabic from day one. A guest should never feel the programme was made for somewhere else.
Group and family rewards. Domestic guests often eat out with family and friends. Rewards that work for a table, such as a shared dish, a family brunch upgrade or priority on a large booking, fit how people actually dine.
One membership across cities. If you run venues in Riyadh and Jeddah, or in the UAE and the Kingdom, a guest should carry one membership and one profile between them. A Riyadh regular who visits your Jeddah venue on holiday should be recognised as a regular.
Plan around the calendar. Ramadan, the Eids, school holidays and the winter season all change who is eating out and when. Plan member offers and messages around them, not around a generic monthly campaign.
Start collecting data properly on opening day. New venues often treat loyalty as something to add once things settle down. By then thousands of first visits have gone unrecorded. Launch the programme with the venue, with the floor team signing guests up from the first week.
The opportunity
Saudi Arabia is building one of the fastest growing hospitality markets in the region, and most of that growth comes from its own residents travelling and dining at home. Groups that set up loyalty for those guests from the start will know their regulars long before competitors do.
If you are planning a Saudi opening and want to build loyalty in from day one, get in touch with us at TheLoyaltyCo.
Adam Purslow Founder, TheLoyaltyCo
