Known for its rich history, diverse culture and the right blend of modernism and tradition, Middle Eastern countries are experiencing a sharp rise in tourism. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iran have witnessed a sharp rise in tourism as international arrivals soared by 26% compared with 2019 levels.
The fastest growing region in terms of tourism and the worldwide tourism landscape in general shows huge signs of recovery to pre-pandemic levels reflecting burgeoning confidence among international travellers. International travel showed resilience as tourism recovered by 96% from its 2019 levels propelled by vigorous demand in Europe and the lifting of restrictions across Asia.
Marking a significant rise of 14% from the previous year, 790 million tourists ventured internationally from January to July 2024 after data was analysed from the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) latest World Tourism Barometer.
Focusing on Saudi Arabia, its extensive marketing campaigns on new tourist attractions and the introduction of tourist visas in 2019 have triggered a 73% rise in tourist arrivals. The number of tourist arrivals reached 17.5 million in 2024. The kingdom has become a hot tourist destination as indicated by data derived from the World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism, which shows revenue from international tourism grew by 207% in 2024 compared to the similar period of 2019. The record breaking growth reflects the success of kingdom’s ongoing efforts to expand and diversify its tourism sector as part of Saudi Vision 2030 aimed at making the tourism sector a key pillar of its economic growth plan.
Additionally, the travel account in the balance of payments recorded a historic surplus of 48 billion riyals in 2023, marking an annual increase of 38 per cent as the Saudi Arabian economy moves away from oil dependency, focusing heavily on its tourism industry.
Next in line is UAE which is increasingly becoming a magnet for tourists with Dubai and Abu Dhabi leading the charge. A diverse international audience is attracted to the destination due to its large investments in hospitality and cultural audiences. In the first half of 2024, passenger traffic at UAE airports increased by 14.2% as well as hotel occupancy which increased by 10% in Dubai. This made UAE, the 6th destination globally by international tourism receipts.
