Saudi Arabia witnessed unprecedented growth in domestic cultural tourism, with over 10.5 million trips taking place in the first ten months of 2021, according to the Cultural Status Report by the Ministry of Culture.
The Ministry publishes the report every two years to create a basis for monitoring the cultural movement inside and outside the Kingdom.
The report pointed to the limited development of cultural facilities during 2021, which posed a challenge, and in a world still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, the cultural scene is resuming its activity in Saudi Arabia.
It addressed some questions about the long-term effects, opportunities, and lessons learned from the pandemic and how to overcome the challenges it posed.
The report noted a jump in non-profit cultural organizations, with 58 new associations registering in the Kingdom, that will further enrich the sector.
Six important archaeological discoveries were announced due to the efforts to preserve the Kingdom’s heritage, recording an increase in the number of archaeological survey projects, which reached 23 projects in 2021.
The Kingdom witnessed the launch of several initiatives to document cultural heritage, including the music and performing arts sectors, archiving Saudi creative production, and registering new elements of Saudi heritage in international lists.
The initiatives and opportunities to support and enable culture and creativity, such as grants and funds, cultural competitions, and business accelerators, reflect the long march towards establishing and developing the cultural sector.
Over 36,000 commercial establishments were founded in the sector, nearly half are active in design and creative services.
