Abstract
Key studies have identified the need to diversify the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia economy beyond its heavily oil-based status if it is to attain long-term sustainable growth. Tourism, in particular religious tourism, has been recognized as one key non-tradable sector that could promote this growth. This article applies a time-series approach to examine the impact of the tourism industry on the economic prosperity of the Kingdom between 1970 and 2011. The results show that tourism only plays a minor role in improving economic growth when the economy as a whole is taken into consideration. However, when isolating the non-oil sectors, the impact of tourism could be seen to have a greater influence on economic growth. Tourism is therefore potentially important for any future diversification of the economy from oil.
DOI
10.3727/108354215x14464845877995
Publication Date
2015-12-11
Publication Title
Tourism Analysis
Organisational Unit
University of Plymouth
Recommended Citation
Alodadi, A.,
&
Benhin, J.
(2015)
'Religious Tourism and Economic Growth in Oil-Rich Countries: Evidence from Saudi Arabia',
Tourism Analysis, 20(6), pp. 645-651.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.3727/108354215x14464845877995
