Meeting of Gulf Tourism Ministers with Kuwaiti participation: Our region is a preferred and attractive destination for family tourism
Omar Al-Omar, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and Acting Minister of Information and Culture, participated on Thursday in the tenth meeting of ministers responsible for tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, hosted by Bahrain. The meeting, chaired by Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism Fatima Al-Sairafi and attended by GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi, emphasized the importance of continuing joint Gulf efforts to enhance cooperation and coordination in the tourism sector and develop joint Gulf initiatives, thereby supporting the tourism sector, strengthening its foundations, and bolstering the position of GCC states as a regional and international tourist destination. The meeting also addressed several topics and issues related to developing the tourism sector, enhancing cooperation, and exchanging expertise and experiences among GCC member states, in order to support joint tourism initiatives and projects and stimulate tourism flows within the GCC. Kuwait’s participation in the meeting underscored its commitment to developing the tourism sector and strengthening Gulf cooperation in this field, keeping pace with the rapid developments witnessed by the tourism sector regionally and internationally, and supporting the GCC states’ orientation toward diversifying tourism products and leveraging the assets abundant in the Arab Gulf states.
For his part, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi stressed that the ambition extends beyond the GCC states being six leading tourist destinations, aiming instead for an integrated, diverse, and complementary Gulf tourism system with unified aspirations. Speaking at the meeting, Al-Budaiwi noted that the positive indicators witnessed by the Gulf tourism sector in 2025 reflect the progress achieved by GCC states and confirm the growing prominence of tourism and its role in supporting economic growth and diversification. He pointed out that tourist arrivals to GCC states exceeded 75 million in 2025, representing a growth rate of 4.8 percent, while tourism spending in the GCC surpassed 131 billion US dollars in the same year, compared to approximately 120 billion dollars in 2024. He added that more than 20 million tourists traveled within GCC states in 2025, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to 2024. Furthermore, the direct and indirect contribution of tourism to GCC economies reached approximately 254 billion dollars in the same year, accounting for 11.4 percent of GDP.
On his part, Bahraini Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa affirmed that the stability and prosperity enjoyed by GCC states, thanks to the wise visions of their leaders, have enhanced the region’s status as a preferred and attractive destination for family tourism from around the world. Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported that these remarks were made during a meeting between Sheikh Khalid and the heads of delegations participating in the tenth meeting of ministers responsible for tourism in GCC states, held at his office in Qasr Al-Qurayn, including Minister Al-Omar. Sheikh Khalifa emphasized that under the leadership of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, security serves as a fundamental pillar for development and progress across all sectors, a approach consistent with the stability and prosperity enjoyed by GCC states thanks to the wise visions of their leaders. This has reinforced the region’s status as a preferred and attractive destination for family tourism from various parts of the world. He noted that these assets, rooted in a solid heritage of shared values among GCC states, form a robust foundation for broader inter-tourism integration, leveraging their readiness to address challenges with flexibility and high efficiency, thereby supporting economic diversification efforts and achieving comprehensive development aspirations.
