Hotel rooms added in Mecca & Medina
250,000+ new hotel rooms built in the two holy cities
Vibrant Society pillar2 sourcesLast verified 2026-05-18
Hero metric
New hotel rooms in Mecca and Medina
250K+
2016-2025250,000+ new hotel rooms built in the two holy cities
Publishers include: Ministry of Hajj & Umrah · Argaam
The Story
Before
Pilgrim accommodation in Mecca and Medina was insufficient for the scale of demand.
Initiative
Major hotel construction programs, PIF hospitality investments, and licensing reforms expanded the room stock in the two holy cities.
Outcome
Over 250,000 new hotel rooms have been added across Mecca and Medina since 2016.
For citizens
Affordable, comfortable accommodation for both international pilgrims and Saudi families making Umrah. Hospitality jobs created at scale for Saudi workers.
Timeline of Milestones
2025
250K+ new hotel rooms across Mecca and Medina
Evidence library · 2 primary sources
Sorted by tier, newest first
Visitors to Saudi
Record-breaking 122 million in 2025
122M
18 million Umrah pilgrims welcomed from abroad
Up 214% since 2022 — and pilgrim satisfaction at 94%
18.03M
Tourism spending, all-time high
Inbound and domestic tourist spending crossed SAR 300B ($81B) in 2025
SAR 300B
Religious tourism's economic footprint
Hajj and Umrah generate ~$12B/year — about 7% of GDP, ~20% of the non-oil economy
~7% GDP
Initiative attribution: Pilgrim Experience Program; PIF hospitality giga-projects; Ministry of Tourism licensing. Citizen benefit category: Cultural life.