GCC tourism & travel market value hits $247bn in 2024
MUSCAT, 16 hours, 15 minutes ago
The value added by the travel and tourism sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Gulf countries reached $247.1 billion in 2024, up 31.9% from 2019, according to the GCC Statistical Centre.
The data, published in a report titled “Tourism in the GCC: A Gateway to Development and Sustainable Transformation” to mark World Tourism Day, showed that tourism is one of the region’s main engines for creating direct and indirect jobs.
The sector’s contribution to the Gulf nations' GDP is projected to reach 13.3% by 2034, equivalent to $371.2 billion, underscoring tourism's growing role as a key driver of economic, social and environmental development, stated the report.
In 2024, its contribution to employment was valued at $4.3 billion, up 24.9% from 2019. By 2034, the sector is expected to generate around 1.3 million new jobs.
In 2024, the sector’s value added to employment amounted to $4.3 billion, a growth of 24.9% compared to 2019. It is further expected that the sector will generate around 1.3 million new jobs by 2034.
The sector also serves as a platform for empowerment, boosting youth and women’s participation in the labour market. Women accounted for 13% of the sector’s workforce in 2024, reflecting a growth of 73.2% since 2019.
GCC countries have witnessed positive developments in sustainable tourism, with a strong commitment to preserving natural resources and advancing the concept of eco-tourism.
The proportion of natural reserves (terrestrial and marine) across the GCC stood at 19 percent of the total area in 2023, representing a 7.5 percent increase compared with 2022, said the report.
Tourism has also strengthened intra-GCC integration, with intra-GCC tourism up 52.1% in 2024 compared with 2019. Around 19.3 million tourists travelled within the GCC that year, representing 26.7% of total international visitors, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
