'GCC Statistical Center': GCC Tourism's Total Economic Value Reaches $254.7 Billion in 2025

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

This was outlined 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 through 2035.

The Center added that tourism-related employment in GCC countries reached approximately 4.5 million jobs, compared to around 371 million jobs globally. It clarified that tourism’s contribution to GDP, employment, and sector growth rates in the Gulf region were at “competitive levels” relative to global averages.

It noted 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 sustained growth in visitor numbers and tourism spending, an increased contribution of the sector to GDP, and growth in direct job opportunities.

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

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 strategy also targets raising the sector’s direct contribution to GDP to 6.5 percent, increasing spending by domestic tourists to $49 billion, and achieving 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 128.7 million visitors. The figure grew by 3.1 percent between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the period 2019–2025 was approximately 29.4 percent, taking into account the impact of the “COVID-19” pandemic on the index’s trajectory.

Concerning the spending by inbound tourists index, 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, with an average annual growth of 17.5 percent during the period 2019–2025.

On the front of domestic tourism, spending by domestic tourists reached $42.9 billion in 2025, achieving 87.6 percent of the 2030 target of $49 billion. It grew by 6.2 percent between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the period 2019–2025 was approximately 20.3 percent.

Regarding the direct GDP contribution of the travel and tourism sector in Gulf countries, the Center stated it reached $101.7 billion in 2025, achieving 69.8 percent of the 2030 target of $145.8 billion. It recorded 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) rose to 4.6 percent in 2025, achieving 70.8 percent of the 2030 target of 6.5 percent. The sector’s contribution recorded a 7 percent growth between 2024 and 2025, while the average annual growth during the 2019–2025 period reached 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 approximately 2.9 million jobs. This reflects an annual growth 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 GCC Statistical Center indicated that GCC countries occupy the top six positions in the Arab region in passport strength, according to the Henley Passport Index 2026. This follows a cumulative improvement in the ranking of Gulf passports compared to 2016, ranging between 6 and 36 positions as of July 16 last year.

It is worth noting that the Statistical Center for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman, was established in 2011 to serve as the official authorized body for data, information, and statistics related to the GCC countries, as well as to enhance statistical and informational work among national statistical centers and planning authorities within them.