GCC Tourism Sector Reaches $254.7 Billion in Economic Value
The Gulf Cooperation Council's tourism industry has achieved significant growth, with the sector generating substantial direct and indirect economic benefits across member states and creating millions of employment opportunities.
The GCC Statistical Centre has released a comprehensive report on Strategic Tourism Ambition in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, revealing that the tourism sector’s direct and indirect economic value reached approximately US$254.7 billion in 2025. This substantial figure underscores the region’s expanding role within the global tourism market, which was valued at US$11.7 trillion during the same period.
Employment within the tourism sector has expanded considerably, with approximately 4.5 million tourism-related positions now established across GCC nations, positioning the region competitively against the global average of around 371 million jobs. The sector’s contribution to gross domestic product and employment growth rates remain aligned with international benchmarks, demonstrating the region’s capacity to sustain and advance its tourism infrastructure.
Progress Towards Strategic Goals
The GCC tourism sector has demonstrated tangible advancement towards the objectives outlined in the Gulf Tourism Strategy 2022–2030, with average progress reaching approximately 73.8% by 2025. This momentum has been driven by sustained increases in visitor arrivals, tourism expenditure and the sector’s contribution to overall GDP, alongside expanding direct employment opportunities.
Inbound visitor numbers reached 89.9 million in 2025, representing 69.9% of the strategic 2030 target of 128.7 million visitors. The sector experienced 3.1% annual growth, whilst the average annual growth rate over the 2019–2025 period stood at approximately 29.4%, demonstrating resilience despite pandemic-related disruptions.
Inbound tourist spending totalled US$131.9 billion in 2025, achieving 70.2% of the 2030 target of US$188 billion. This category recorded particularly robust growth of 9.7% year-on-year, with a 17.5% average annual increase since 2019. Domestic tourism has also flourished, with spending reaching US$42.9 billion in 2025, representing 87.6% of the 2030 target of US$49 billion.
Economic Contribution and Global Standing
Direct travel and tourism GDP reached US$101.7 billion in 2025, achieving 69.8% of the 2030 target of US$145.8 billion. The sector’s contribution to GCC countries’ combined GDP increased to 4.6% in 2025, with growth of 7% recorded between 2024 and 2025. Direct employment within travel and tourism totalled 2.2 million positions in 2025, achieving 74.7% of the 2030 target.
The region’s international standing within tourism continues to strengthen, with GCC countries capturing 5% of total international tourism arrivals and 6.9% of global tourism receipts as of 2025. Additionally, GCC nations occupy the top six positions among Arab countries for passport strength according to the Henley Passport Index 2026, with cumulative passport ranking improvements ranging from 6 to 36 places since 2016.
Source: WAM