Recent figures published by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) show that visitor expenditure across GCC nations is anticipated to reach USD 223.7 billion by 2034. Additionally, spending by international visitors is expected to account for 13.4 percent of the region’s total exports.
The Centre further highlighted that GCC countries continue to make consistent progress across various tourism-related benchmarks.
According to the data, total spending by international tourists in the GCC reached USD 135.5 billion in 2023, marking a 28.9 percent rise compared to levels recorded in 2019.
In the 2024 Safety and Security Index for the Middle East and North Africa region, GCC countries secured the top position. Each GCC nation scored higher than the regional average of 5.86 on a scale from 1 to 7. Additionally, all were ranked among the top six Arab nations in terms of passport strength.
