Tourism in Riyadh Province

Tourism in Riyadh Province comprises several natural, civilizational, historical, and heritage components in addition to the service infrastructure of Riyadh Province. The province is considered a tourist destination visited by tourists. In fact, it is home to the political, economic, and urban hub of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is its capital, Riyadh.

Riyadh Province, where the city stands today, has witnessed human settlements since around a quarter of a million years ago. Further evidence displayed at the National Museum in Riyadh City shows that the area has been inhabited since around thirty thousand years ago.

Heritage, tourist, and archaeological sites in Riyadh Province and its festivals, events, and commercial centers form a tourist attraction element.

Archaeological areas in Riyadh Province comprise Qaryat al-Faw, the capital of the First Kingdom of Kinda. Several ancient kingdoms and civilizations settled within the area and its tombs stand as witnesses to these civilizations. Qaryat al-Faw is located southeast of the seat of Wadi al-Dawasir Governorate, in the area where Wadi al-Dawasir Governorate intersects with Tuwaiq Mountain. It is about 150 kilometers away from the mountain range.

Tourist attractions visited by visitors in Riyadh Province include Diriyah Historical City consisting of several historical neighborhoods, such as al-Turaif District, the seat of the royal family during the First Saudi State. In 2010, the district was inscribed under the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. Other neighborhoods include al-Bujairi District, al-Turufiyyah, al-Muraih, al-Dhawihrah, Samhan, al-Sariha, al-Dharah, al-Qasrayn, and Ghasibah neighborhoods. The province is also house to historical mosques, such as Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulwahab Mosque, al-Sariha Mosque, and al-Dhawihrah Mosque.

Riyadh Province also comprises "al-Ghat Heritage Village" in al-Ghat Governorate in addition to several historical castles, such as al-Masmak Palace, al-Murabba Palace, King Abdulaziz Palace in al-Dawadmi, King Abdulaziz Palace in al-Kharj, and Abu Jafan Palance in al-Kharj. Its museums include the National Museum, the Money Museum, King Abdulaziz Historical Hall, and Saqr al-Jazira Museum.

Shaqra Governorate is one of the heritage tourist attractions of the province. It comprises the historical village in its center and reflects the architectural pattern of traditional Najdi cities through its mosques, markets, and houses. Its houses include al-Subaie House, built in 1909. The house served as a treasury during the reign of the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, its reception area, and the place for hosting official delegations.

Shaqra also comprises al-Issa House, al-Jumaih House, and the historical house of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman Ababtain and Sheikh al-Abdullatif. It features the old and new walls, Hlewa Heritage Market, and watchtowers on the surrounding mountains, including the northern and southern watchtower, and al-Sayeh Tower, in addition to the old dam and wells like al-Humaydiyah Well and Wadi al-Rimah Dam. Further to its heritage gates, Shaqra encompasses Bandar al-Mater Museum.

Riyadh Province features several parks that receive visitors, including King Abdullah Park in al-Malaz, Wadi Hanifa Park, Namar Park, Salam Park, King Salman Wild Park in Banban, the zoo, and al-Suwaidi Park. It is also home to Aquaribia, Qiddiya City water theme park, scheduled to open in 2025.

The heritage village in Ushaiqer City is one of the heritage villages hosting tourist trips in the Kingdom, thus one of the visitor attraction destinations. It comprises several tourist attractions, including al-Salem Museum, exhibiting folkloring artifacts, old farming tools, crafts, documents, and manuscripts, and Hamad al-Duwayan Heritage Museum, displaying the city's folklore and pieces of the village wall. The village includes al-Mufailqiya Mosque, Sheikh Suleiman Bin Ali al-Mushrif Mosque, the old market, the rural rest house, the guest house, and the house of Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Issa.

The capital, Riyadh, combines a modern building style with historical and cultural heritage. It is characterized by its towers visited by visitors, such as the Kingdom Tower, al-Faisaliah Tower, and Rafal Tower. It is also known for its several commercial centers and markets contributing to fostering shopping tourism in the region.

In 2018, two million inbound trips flocked into Riyadh Province, in addition to 4.3 million domestic trips. A total of 25.6 million tourist nights were spent in the province. Tourism spending in the province totaled more than SAR18 billion.

The number of hotels in Riyadh Province reached 120 hotels in 2019, with the number of furnished residential units reaching 1,573 units. Within sixty days from its launch on October 28, 2023, Riyadh Season was visited by twelve million guests, which was the target for the entire Riyadh Season. This target was achieved halfway through the season. As of the beginning of the season from late October 2023 until early February 2024, the number of visitors reached seventeen million.

Several recreational, cultural, and social programs and events are held in many cities of Riyadh Province. In 2019, 310 events were organized over 6,052 days. They were attended by 17,017,518 persons.

Festivals and tourism events in the Province are varied, including Riyadh International Season, an international entertainment festival, launched in 2019, Diriyah Classic Car Festival, Diriyah Equestrian Festival, and Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. Other events comprise "Basta" event, held in several locations in the capital, the Winter Festival in al-Kharj, held in the village of Yamama, north of al-Seih, ad-Dawadmi Annual Fall Festival, the Flower Festival in Hawtat Sudayr in al-Majma'ah Governorate, al-Quway'iyyah Date Festival and "Our Valley... Heritage and Legacy" festival in Wadi al-Dawasir, and the Citrus Festival in al-Hariq Governorate, among other events and festivals.