Golf Tourism in Saudi Arabia: Bold Course Growth, LIV Golf, and the High-spend Visitor Playbook

The supply story is also becoming easier to quantify. A Ken Research report on the Saudi golf cart market says the Kingdom is seeing rapid expansion in golf courses, with over 25 new courses planned, taking the total to approximately 55. It ties that growth to investments exceeding USD 1.5 billion in the tourism and hospitality sectors, aimed at attracting local and international tourists, and notes that luxury resorts featuring golf facilities are expected to support demand for golf carts. Separately, House of Saud reports Saudi Arabia recorded over 6,200 active golfers at Golf Saudi facilities as of 2025, describing participation as rising from negligible levels a few years earlier.

Course Development Meets Event-Led Demand

Saudi Arabia is using tournament visibility to accelerate destination awareness. Ken Research highlights tournaments such as the Saudi International and LIV Golf events at venues like Royal Greens and Riyadh Golf Club, arguing these events help attract global golfers and spectators. House of Saud adds that the Kingdom hosts LIV Golf’s season-opening event and describes Riyadh Golf Club as the home of that opener. It also claims Saudi Arabia has opened the Middle East’s first island golf course and plans to triple its number of championship-level layouts by 2030. Together, these points reflect a strategy where calendar moments and new builds reinforce each other to create travel intent.

The “high-spend visitor” thesis is consistent with how global research frames golf travel. Fortune Business Insights says golf travelers typically have higher spending capacity and longer stays, supporting destination economies, and notes that international golf tourism represents around 42% of the overall golf tourism market size. Mordor Intelligence similarly argues the market is expanding because high-spending leisure travelers now expect golf trips to include wellness, culture, and family-oriented resort experiences, not only course access. This aligns with the Saudi focus on integrating golf into broader leisure itineraries, rather than treating rounds as a standalone product.

Policy and packaging help turn visibility into bookings. Ken Research explains that the Saudi government operates through national sports and tourism frameworks overseen by the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Tourism, with Golf Saudi acting as the commercial and development arm of the Saudi Golf Federation to grow participation, attract events, and integrate golf into Vision 2030 tourism goals. The same source notes the Tourism Law issued by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism in 2022 sets licensing, quality, and operational requirements for tourism service providers and hospitality assets, applying to golf resorts and golf-related hospitality offerings. In global context, Mordor Intelligence reports direct bookings captured 41.8% of global golf tourism market share in 2025 and are projected to grow at a 9.2% CAGR through 2031, reinforcing why destinations that simplify resort-and-round planning can compete for premium visitors.