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GCC countries record $110bn tourism revenue, receive 68mn tourists in 2023

3 Feb 2025 By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Muscat – The total international tourism revenues in the GCC countries increased to $110.4bn in 2023, marking a sharp growth of 28.2% compared to pre-pandemic figures from 2019, according to statistics released by the Muscat-based GCC Statistical Centre (GCC-Stat).

The data revealed that approximately 68.1mn international tourists visited GCC countries by the end of 2023, representing an increase of 42.8% compared to 2019 figures.

The data, published by Emirates News Agency (WAM), indicated that GCC countries have achieved 52.9% of the first strategic objective outlined in the Joint Tourism Strategy (2023–2030), which aims to gradually increase the number of incoming trips to reach 128.7mn tourists.

The sharp rise in total international tourism revenues, reaching $110.4bn in 2023, contributed to achieving 58.7% of the second strategic goal, which is to gradually increase international tourist spending to reach $188bn.

Data from GCC-Stat disclosed that intra-GCC tourism accounted for 26.9% of total international tourists, reflecting a growth rate of 44.2% compared to 2019.

The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest share of tourist export markets to GCC countries at 38%, followed by the Middle East with 25.1%, Europe with 22.9%, Africa with 8.8%, and the Americas with 4.3%.

Tourism indicators have positively impacted the sector in GCC countries in terms of infrastructure. Data issued by GCC-Stat indicated that 10,893 hotel establishments were recorded in GCC countries in 2023, comprising 697,000 rooms. It also revealed that five GCC countries exceeded the regional average in air transport infrastructure.

The travel and tourism sector contributed 10.8% to the Gulf GDP, with an annual growth rate of 29.4% compared to the previous year. The added value of the sector reached approximately $223.4bn by the end of 2023.

The total number of workers in the tourism sector in GCC countries reached about 1.5mn by the end of 2023, with a growth rate of 17% compared to 2019. The added value of the travel and tourism sector in employment amounted to $4.04bn, with an annual growth rate of 15.5% between 2022 and 2023.

GCC countries surpassed the regional benchmark for human resources and the labour market in the Global Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024.

Women accounted for 12.4% of workers in the tourism sector in GCC countries, achieving an annual growth rate of 27.5% compared to 2020 figures. This highlights the efforts made to empower women in this vital sector.

The tourism sector also promotes environmental sustainability in GCC countries. The proportion of natural reserves relative to the total area of GCC countries increased to 15.1% in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 39% from 2017 to 2023.

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