Last week’s Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai shone the spotlight on a sector that has registered tourism-officials-call-for-aligning-mega-events-ahead-of-unified-visa-launch/” target=”_blank”>tremendous growth after the Covid-19 pandemic, and which is a core part of long-term plans for tourism-operators-struggle-to-match-sustainability-goals-with-guest-expectations/” target=”_blank”>economic diversification across the GCC.
Saudi Arabia reported more than 106 million tourists in 2023, up 12 per cent from 2022 and an astonishing 56 per cent higher than 2019. Of this 106 million, slightly more than a quarter, or 27.4 million, were international visitors.
Dubai attracted a record 17.2 million international visitors last year, up by about 20 per cent year on year, while the other Emirates also reported strong growth in both domestic and international visitor numbers in 2023.
Hospitality was the fastest-growing sector in both Dubai and Qatar in the first nine months of last year, posting double-digit growth. In Bahrain, hospitality was the second fastest-growing sector after transport.
Hospitality (defined as accommodation and food services in official statistics) is a very…
tourism-is-set-to-drive-economic-diversification-in-gcc/” target=”_blank”>Read further.
