AI and Changing Payment Behaviors are Reshaping How International Visitors Plan and Spend in the Kingdom
International visitors to Saudi Arabia are staying longer, spending more, and increasingly using AI and digital payment tools as part of their travel journey, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study.
The study, conducted November 2025- February 2026, examined travel and payment behaviors across 40 markets.
AI Enters the Traveler Journey
The findings point to a shift in how visitors plan their trips, with AI playing a growing role in the pre-trip stage. Half (50%) of travelers surveyed used AI to find travel ideas, while 48% used it for reviews and recommendations, 45% for finding flights and accommodation, and 36% for planning itineraries.
However, established sources remain important. Friends, family, and other travelers were the most commonly used sources for pre-trip recommendations at 46%, followed by travel agents (41%), social media (39%) and search engines (38%).
Diverse travel motivations drive visits to Saudi Arabia, while shopping attracts 75% of travelers
The findings highlight the diverse reasons for visiting Saudi Arabia, spanning religious travel associated with Hajj and Umrah, as well as leisure, visiting family and friends, and shopping, reflecting the breadth of experiences and opportunities that continue to attract visitors to the Kingdom.
At the same time, visitor itineraries are becoming more varied. Three-quarters (75%) of travelers surveyed went shopping during their stay, including 43% who visited local markets and 37% who visited department stores or malls. Experiences and tours were undertaken by 39%, while 24% visited theme parks.
Family is also central to the visitor experience, with 75% traveling with family. Safety remains an important consideration, with 28% citing a safe and secure destination as a motivation for visiting Saudi Arabia.
Changing Payment Behavior
Visitor payment behavior is also changing, with credit and debit cards being the leading payment methods used during trips, alongside growing use of mobile wallets.
Some amount of cash remains part of the journey, with 42% of visitors carried cash, primarily for emergencies and smaller purchases, and cash accounted for 23% of the main payment method share at destination.
Average Trip Spend Exceeds SAR 10,000
Spending data points to a broader economic impact from inbound tourism. Visitors surveyed reported an average trip spend of SAR 10,405, with 54% of expenditure pre-booked and the remaining 46% spent while in Saudi Arabia.
Accommodation accounted for 19% of overall trip spend, followed by transportation to and from the destination (18%), food and beverages (17%) and experiences (15%).
Spending also differed considerably by source market. Among the key corridors surveyed, visitors from the United States recorded the highest average trip spend at SAR 21,530, followed by the UAE at SAR 14,046 and the UK at SAR 10,558.
Aleksander Kuzmichev, Head of Cross-Border Solutions, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Visa, said: “The findings point to an increasingly diverse and digital visitor journey in Saudi Arabia. Religious travel remains fundamental, but visitors are staying longer and combining it with shopping, local markets, attractions and other experiences across the Kingdom. As AI plays a greater role in trip planning and travelers increasingly rely on digital payments, the opportunity is to make every stage of the journey, from planning to payment, more seamless, secure and convenient.”
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
