68.1 million international tourists for Gulf countries in 2023 and 110.4 billion dollars total revenues

Muscat on February 2 / WAM / The number of international tourists who visited the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf by the end of 2023 reached about 68.1 million international tourists, an increase of 42.8% compared to 2019, according to what the data issued by the statistical center of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in December showed. 2024.
The data contained in the bulletin (travel and tourism in the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) issued by the center indicate that the GCC countries achieved 52.9% of the first strategic goal of the joint tourism strategy 2023-2030, related to the gradual increase of expatriate trips to reach 128.7 One million tourists.
The total international tourism revenues in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries increased by 28.2% by the end of 2023 compared to 2019 to $ 110.4 billion, achieving 58.7% of the second strategic goal of increasing international tourists spending gradually to $ 188 billion.
The data of the Gulf Statistical Center indicates that the percentage of inter -tourism among the countries of the Cooperation Council of the total international tourists reached 26.9%, with a growth of 44.2% compared to 2019.
The Asia Pacific region acquired the largest percentage of the markets exporting tourists to the countries of the Cooperation Council with 38%, followed by the Middle East by 25.1%, Europe with 22.9%, then Africa with 8.8% and the Americas with 4.3%.
Tourist indicators are reflected positively on the sector in the GCC countries, whether in terms of infrastructure, where the data of the Gulf Statistical Center indicates that the total number of hotel establishments in the GCC countries reached 10 thousand and 893 establishments in 2023, and also exceeded 5 of the countries of the regional medium Cooperation Council in the infrastructure For air transport.
The travel and tourism sector contributed 10.8% in the Gulf GDP, at an annual growth rate of 29.4% compared to the previous year, as the added value of the sector by the end of 2023 amounted to about 223.4 billion US dollars.
The total workers in the tourism sector in the GCC countries reached about 1.5 million workers by the end of 2023, with a growth rate of 17% compared to 2019, and the added value of the travel and tourism sector in employment was 4.04 billion US dollars, at an annual growth rate for 2022 and 2023 amounted to 15.5%.

The GCC countries exceeded the regional index of human resources and the labor market in the World Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024.
Females accounted for 12.4% of workers in the tourism sector in the GCC countries, with an annual growth rate of 27.5% compared to 2020, indicating efforts to empower women in this vital sector.
The tourism sector is enhanced by the sustainability of the environment in the GCC countries, as the percentage of natural reserves increased from its total area to 15.1% in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 39% during the period from 2017 to 2023.

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