By bne Gulf bureau Foreign tourists visiting Saudi Arabia spent a record SAR 45bn ($12bn) on hospitality facilities in 2023, accounting for 32% of total tourist expenditure, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism reported on August 14. Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector has been experiencing unprecedented growth as the kingdom continues its efforts to diversify income sources beyond oil and traditional religious tourism of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The country is also investing heavily in new technologies to show off its ability to diversify away from regular tourism-led transport systems. The ministr…