Gulf Statistics Authority: Total economic value of Gulf tourism reaches $254.7 billion in 2025

The Statistical Center for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reported on Sunday that the direct and indirect economic value of tourism in the GCC rose to approximately $254.7 billion in 2025, compared to $11.7 trillion globally.

This came in a report issued by the center titled “Strategic Tourism Ambition in GCC Countries,” which examines the sector’s capacity to withstand geopolitical tensions, recovery trajectories, and expected economic outlooks up to 2035.

The center added that the number of jobs linked to tourism in the GCC reached approximately 4.5 million, compared to around 371 million globally, noting that tourism’s contribution to GDP, employment, and sector growth rates in the Gulf were at “competitive levels” compared to global averages.

It pointed out that the Gulf tourism sector achieved “tangible progress” in implementing the targets of the “Gulf Tourism Strategy 2022–2030,” with the average progress toward strategic objectives reaching 73.8 percent by 2025. This progress was driven by continuous growth in visitor numbers and tourism spending, an increased sectoral contribution to GDP, and growth in direct job opportunities.

In this regard, the center clarified that its report measures progress across six main objectives of the Gulf Tourism Strategy: increasing inbound trips, direct GDP contribution of the travel and tourism sector, spending by inbound tourists, the sector’s share of GDP, domestic tourist spending, and direct employment.

It stated that the strategy aims to reach 128.7 million visitors by 2030, raise the direct GDP contribution of the travel and tourism sector to $145.8 billion, and increase spending by inbound tourists to $188 billion.

The center further noted that the strategy also targets raising the sector’s direct contribution to GDP to 6.5 percent, increasing domestic tourist spending to $49 billion, and reaching approximately 2.9 million direct jobs.

Regarding the inbound visitor index, the center reported that the number reached 89.9 million visitors in 2025, representing 69.9 percent of the 2030 target of 127.8 million visitors. The figure recorded a 3.1 percent growth between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the period (2019–2025) stood at approximately 29.4 percent, taking into account the impact of the (COVID-19) pandemic on the index’s trajectory.

On the index of inbound tourist spending, it mentioned that the total rose to $131.9 billion in 2025, achieving 70.2 percent of the 2030 target of $188 billion. It recorded a one-year growth of 9.7 percent and an average annual growth of 17.5 percent during the period (2019–2025).

In terms of domestic tourism, it clarified that domestic tourist spending reached $42.9 billion in 2025, achieving 87.6 percent of the 2030 target of $49 billion. It recorded a 6.2 percent growth between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the period (2019–2025) stood at approximately 20.3 percent.

Regarding the direct GDP contribution of the travel and tourism sector in the Gulf countries, the center stated that it recorded $101.7 billion in 2025, achieving 69.8 percent of the 2030 target of $145.8 billion, with an annual growth of 8.8 percent between 2024 and 2025, and an average annual growth of 15.9 percent during the period (2019–2025).

In this regard, he pointed out that the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ gross domestic product (GDP) reached 4.6 percent in 2025, achieving 70.8 percent of the 2030 target of 6.5 percent. The contribution also recorded growth of 7 percent between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the 2019–2025 period stood at approximately 7.2 percent.

On the labor market front, the Center clarified that total direct employment in the travel and tourism sector reached 2.2 million jobs in 2025, achieving 74.7 percent of the 2030 target of nearly 2.9 million jobs. This was accompanied by an annual growth rate of 5.6 percent between 2024 and 2025, and an average annual growth of 4.9 percent during the 2019–2025 period.

He emphasized the importance of these indicators in enhancing the international standing of the tourism sector in GCC countries, noting that the GCC’s share of total international tourism reached 5 percent in 2025, while its share of global tourism revenues amounted to 6.9 percent, reflecting “the region’s expanding presence in the global tourism market and the growing economic impact of the sector.”

Regarding ease of international mobility, the (Gulf Cooperation Council Statistical) Center indicated that GCC countries occupy the top six positions in the Arab region in terms of passport strength according to the Henley Passport Index 2026, with cumulative improvements in the ranking of Gulf passports compared to 2016 ranging between 6 and 36 positions as of July 16 last year.