7.5% share of Gulf countries in global tourism revenues

Data issued by the Statistical Center for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf showed that international tourism revenues in the GCC countries recorded 120.2 billion US dollars in 2024, an increase of 39.6% compared to 2019, and 8.9% compared to 2023, bringing the Gulf share of global tourism revenues to 7.5%.

These data reflect the continued strong performance of inbound tourism to the GCC countries during the year 2024, recording a remarkable growth in the numbers of visitors, revenues and jobs, which enhances the sector’s role as one of the main drivers of economic diversification and supporting the gross domestic product.

The “Travel and Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries for the year 2024” report issued by the Center indicated that the total number of international tourists coming to the Gulf Cooperation Council reached 72.2 million tourists in 2024, achieving a growth of 51.5% compared to 2019, and 6.1% compared to 2023, bringing the region’s market share to 5.2% of global tourism, which reflects a recovery exceeding pre-pandemic levels, driven by By expanding air connectivity, facilitating visas, and diversifying tourism products. The data also showed an increasing diversity in the markets exporting tourists, as the Middle East region accounted for 18.8% of the total tourist arrivals, followed by Europe with 14.6%, and Asia and the Pacific with 14.5%, which indicates the increasing attractiveness of the region outside the scope of intra-tourism, and the growth of demand from long-term markets.

Intra-GCC tourism represented 41.3% of the total international tourists, with an average annual growth of 51.2% during the period (2019-2024), which reflects the success of the Gulf tourism integration initiatives, facilitating transportation, and promoting joint events.

The high demand was reflected in the expansion of the sector’s infrastructure, as the total number of hotel establishments in the Gulf Cooperation Council reached 11.2 thousand establishments, containing about 711.5 thousand rooms. The number of workers in the tourism sector also increased to 1.7 million workers in 2024, with an annual growth of 33% compared to 2020, which confirms the social role of tourism in generating job opportunities and supporting economic stability.