GCC Tourism Economy Reaches 254.7 Billion Dollars as Strategy Progress Averages 73.8 Percent
Tourism generated a direct and indirect economic value of about 254.7 billion dollars across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in 2025, equal to 2.2 percent of a global tourism economy of 11.7 trillion dollars, according to the GCC Statistical Center. The sector supported about 4.5 million jobs. Average progress toward the 6 goals of the GCC Tourism Strategy 2022 to 2030 reached 73.8 percent.
The 2030 scorecard
| Indicator | 2025 | 2030 target | Reached |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inbound visitors | 89.9m | 128.7m | 69.9% |
| Inbound visitor spending | $131.9bn | $188bn | 70.2% |
| Domestic tourist spending | $42.9bn | $49bn | 87.6% |
| Direct tourism GDP | $101.7bn | $145.8bn | 69.8% |
| Direct share of GDP | 4.6% | 6.5% | 70.8% |
| Direct jobs | 2.2m | 2.9m | 74.7% |
Spending is running ahead of arrivals. Inbound spending grew 9.7 percent in 2025 and direct tourism GDP 8.8 percent, above the annual pace of about 7.3 and 7.5 percent needed to reach the 2030 targets, on our calculation. Domestic spending needs only 2.7 percent a year after growing 6.2 percent. The gap is in visitor numbers. Arrivals rose 3.1 percent, while the target implies about 7.4 percent a year, or 38.8 million more visitors by 2030. Inbound spending averaged about 1,467 dollars per inbound visitor, on our calculation.
Above the global average
The report, drawing on World Travel and Tourism Council estimates, puts tourism’s total contribution at 11.4 percent of GCC GDP against a world average of 10.3 percent, and at 13.6 percent of jobs against 10.9 percent. The region took 5.0 percent of international tourists but 6.9 percent of global tourism receipts, a sign of higher spending per visit. Of the 89.9 million inbound visitors, 75.7 million were overnight tourists.
Why it matters: Tourism is one of the main levers for non-oil growth in the Gulf. The scorecard shows a sector already generating more value per visitor than the global average, with arrivals now the main area left to build on.
Outlook: The report, citing World Travel and Tourism Council projections, puts tourism’s total contribution at 365.7 billion dollars by 2035, or 12.6 percent of GDP, with 5.8 million tourism-linked jobs. That is 43.6 percent above the 2025 level, on our calculation.
Sources: GCC Statistical Center, Kuwait News Agency, Qatar News Agency.
