A study on tourist arrivals in Saudi Arabia says the kingdom can expect 6% growth annually until 2013.

Business Monitor International says Saudi Arabia currently attracts 12 million visitors a year. The 2009 numbers are similar to last year, but from next year some solid growth will kick in.

Much of Saudi Arabia’s tourism is linked to religious events with Mecca and Medina hosting millions of Muslims each year on pilgrimages. It is not the only driver however. “Business travel is also a growing area, given the country’s position as the world’s largest oil exporter, not to mention its other large industries such as defence,” the research company’s report said.

Commensurate with the growth in tourism traffic, Saudi Arabia will be home to a large number of new hotels, with the total of existing hotel rooms to increase by 40%, or 90,000 rooms, between now and 2013.

Outbound travel from the kingdom is also on the rise. “Despite efforts to keep more Saudis at home, we see the number of citizens travelling abroad increasing from an estimated 6.30 million in 2008 to a forecast 8.53 million in 2013,” Business Monitor International said.