GCC Statistical Center: 75.7 Million Tourists Visited GCC Countries in 2025
A report by the GCC Statistical Center shows 4.9% tourism growth in 2025, despite challenges posed by the war and its impact on tourist flows.
Translated by Qiyas from الوسط — Original source
- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries must recognize the importance of smart transformation tools in supporting tourism expansion.
The weekly bulletin of the Statistical Center for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), issued on September 27, 2026, under the same title, presented aggregate figures on tourist flows in the GCC countries. The utility of these figures could have been greater had they broken down the data for each individual member state. The data indicate that the number of tourists arriving in the GCC reached approximately 75.7 million in 2025, representing a growth of about 4.9% compared to 2024, which is a healthy growth rate. Total revenues, or the aggregate amount generated from this influx, amounted to approximately $131.9 billion, or roughly 5.8% of the combined gross domestic product (GDP) of the GCC countries in 2025, which stood at $2,419 billion.
Tourism is an economic activity distinguished by being the fastest in supporting the diversification and growth of economic sources and foreign exchange earnings. It drives all transport activities and the hospitality sector, including hotels, restaurants, retail trade, and related services. Key factors for its growth include the integration and development of related sectors and activities, political and financial stability, and progressive legislation welcoming visitors, which helps mitigate the negative impact of the long, hot summer weather.
The GCC countries bore heavy costs from a war imposed upon them. These costs were not limited to the deduction of a large portion of their share from oil and natural gas exports, nor to the loss of innocent lives and infrastructure; they also severely impacted the tourism sector. Excluding religious visits, we do not believe that tourist arrival figures for 2026 will be close to the 2025 levels. In a press release issued by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on September 17, 2026, it was noted that global tourist flow growth in the first six months of the current year reached 0.4% compared to the first half of 2025. Within this context, flows to the Middle East region, including the GCC countries, declined by approximately 22% due to the ongoing war. Therefore, the GCC countries have no choice but to work toward ending this harmful conflict.
The brief report highlights three indicators demonstrating the extent to which GCC countries have embraced the importance of smart transformation tools in serving tourism expansion. The first indicator is their success in adopting emerging technologies, with the United Arab Emirates leading with 99 points, followed by Saudi Arabia with 95 points, Qatar with 83 points, Oman with 70 points, Bahrain with 64 points, and Kuwait with 34 points. The second indicator relates to the development of mobile applications, where the UAE led with 77 points, followed by Oman with 70 points, then Kuwait and Saudi Arabia both with 65 points, Qatar with 61 points, and Bahrain with 60 points. The third indicator is online government services, led by Saudi Arabia with 99 points, followed by the UAE with 90 points, Bahrain with 88 points, Oman with 77 points, Qatar with 72 points, and Kuwait with 56 points. It is evident that Kuwait needs to make significant efforts if it wishes to improve its competitive position in attracting larger numbers of tourists to diversify its income sources.
