Saudi Arabia: Is a door opening for the gospel?

Gospel opportunities are on the rise amidst surging investment in tourism in Saudi Arabia.

The Middle Eastern nation has invested almost £600 million in its tourism sector as it aims to become a key global competitor in the industry by 2030. Platform 67, an organisation which liaises with missionaries around the world, says opportunities to share the gospel on the ground have increased as tourism booms.

The state aims to have built 35 new sites across ten destinations by the end of the decade, when it aspires to have over 100 million overnight visits and to have generated over a million jobs in the country. The investment is already bearing fruit, with the nation’s Ministry of Tourism claiming that well over 100 million tourists visited Saudi Arabia during 2024, generating 283.8 billion Saudi Riyal, equivalent to over £56 billion.

Andrew Dudgeon, who works for Platform 67, told en that Saudi Arabia is looking to make tourism one of its major income streams as it looks to generate new revenue drivers in light of its “finite” dependence on oil production.

He could not disclose much about the mission work taking place in the kingdom for security reasons, with the country still imposing “significant legal and social restrictions” on believers, prohibiting public Christian worship and surveilling and censoring ideas contrary to that dictated by the state.

However, Dudgeon stressed that, despite the challenges, opportunities for outreach are rising in line with the growth of tourism, with a spiritual hunger persisting below the display of wealth present on the surface, although he did warn that the work is “not for the faint-hearted” due to “risk of detention, deportation” and “loss of employment”.

Describing the current situation, he said: “Non-Muslims may worship in private and there are prayer gatherings among expatriates. It all seems extremely difficult, however the country’s need to change only opens the possibility for more face-to-face encounters with people who do not know Jesus. We can pray for Christians living and working in Saudi, especially those who are kingdom-minded and gospel-driven.”

Saudi Arabia: Did you know?

• Saudi Arabia ranks 13th in the Open Doors World Watch List for persecution of Christians
• ”Converts from Islam face the risk of being disowned and shamed by their family or attacked by their clan. The risk of being killed for following Jesus is a very real one,” Open Doors says
• Approximately 2.3 million (6.1%) of people in the country are Christians, but many of these are expatriates, who make up about 42% of the overall population
• Saudi authorities executed at least 356 people in 2025, setting a new record in the country for the highest number of executions in one year, according to Human Rights Watch
• Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, editor of a progressive Saudi newspaper, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 by agents working for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman