According to the latest data from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat), the travel and tourism sector is projected to contribute 11.4 percent to the Gulf’s GDP by the end of 2024, equating to a value of US$247.1 billion.
The data further reveals a significant growth in the sector’s contribution, with an increase of around 31.9 percent compared to the figures from 2019. Additionally, the travel and tourism sector’s share of the global GDP in 2024 is expected to reach 2.2 percent. Looking ahead, the sector’s contribution to the Gulf’s GDP is forecasted to rise to 13.3 percent by 2034, amounting to US$371.2 billion. The average annual growth rate for the sector from 2024 to 2034 is anticipated to exceed 4.2 percent.
In terms of tourism within the Gulf, the statistics show that the average annual growth rate of tourists traveling between GCC countries from 2019 to 2023 was 41.5 percent. This accounted for 26.5 percent of the total international tourists visiting the GCC countries in 2023.
