Kids Drive Saudi Outbound Summer Travel: 48% Cross-border Spend on Leisure Travel, 135% Rise in Amusement Park Spend, Visa Data Reveals

(MENAFN- Edelman) Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, September 02, 2025: Visa’s latest Travel Pulse: Saudi Arabia – Summer Holidays Edition highlights how family travel is taking center stage in Saudi Arabia’s outbound tourism landscape, with children increasingly influencing how and where families spend their holidays.
Outbound leisure travel accounted for 48% of cross-border spend as Saudi residents took advantage of school holidays to combine visits to family abroad with international leisure trips. The study also found that 25% of leisure travelers took multiple trips this summer, averaging 11 days per trip.

Family travel comes to the fore:
Summer 2025 marked a strong increase in family travel, which accounted for 20% of outbound trips, nearly double the RoY average of 13%. Ticketing spend grew 69% compared to RoY, with families of two to five people spending an average of $2,060 on tickets alone.

Top outbound destinations:
Manama remained the leading Gulf destination, with 20% traveler share, followed by Dubai (13% traveler share). Cairo followed with 9% of traveler share, alongside Istanbul (8%) and London (4%). Auckland, at 15,000 km away, was the farthest destination visited by Saudi travelers.

Kids shape the itinerary:
The study underscores the rising influence of children on family itineraries. Outbound spend by Saudi-issued cards at toy merchants grew 140%, while amusement park spending surged 135%. On average, Saudi travelers spent $540 per card on accommodation and $135 per card on entertainment, underlining the family-oriented nature of trips.

“Families in Saudi Arabia are making travel decisions with their children’s preferences in mind, from amusement parks to family dining. This reflects a broader shift during the summer holidays towards experiential and family-oriented travel,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Regional General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. “Our insights show strong opportunities for banks, merchants, and tourism partners to create seamless, family-friendly travel experiences with rewards and benefits tailored to our Saudi cardholders.”

Visa’s analysis reveals that summer travel is becoming more experiential, with families at the center of this trend. Banks and tourism authorities have an opportunity to create targeted travel rewards, collaborate with key international and local merchants for exclusive benefits, and design early-booking incentives tailored to families.

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