The Riyadh International Book Fair 2017, which was concluded on the 18 March, recorded more than a 20% jump in sales from last year, from SAR 60 million to SAR 72 million – the highest sales figure the Fair has reached since its inception. This significant increase in numbers is a clear indication of the growing publishing industry in KSA. The Riyadh Book Fair has been successfully facilitating and promoting exchanges between authors, publishers and book lovers for over a decade.
The Fair’s managing committee also revealed an 8% increase in the number of visitors compared to last year. The total number of visitors this year was 404,212, which was dominated by 55.2% female visitors, and 44.8% males. Sales on the Fair’s online bookstore exceeded 38,000 transactions, indicating the increasing popularity of digital mediums for book purchase.