What will it take to strengthen Gulf tourism?

A number of questions are currently being raised about Gulf tourism, the factors and strategies needed to support its development. Questions are also being asked about the impact of the escalating regional war on tourism in recent months. Finding appropriate answers to these challenges is essential to restoring the strength of a sector in which billions of dollars have been invested to diversify national economies and create employment opportunities.
It is still needed to strengthen the industry, whether the region has sufficient national expertise to manage tourism institutions, and how recent regional tensions have affected visitor flows.
Tourism has become a shared economic activity among the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and has expanded significantly in recent years. However, the regional conflict has disrupted air travel and affected traveler confidence. Despite these difficulties, Gulf countries continue to implement tourism strategies in anticipation of regional stability and the subsequent recovery of this vital sector.
Before the latest conflict, Gulf tourism had reached impressive levels. In 2025, GCC countries received more than 75 million international visitors, while tourism expenditure exceeded $131 billion. Around 20 million travelers moved between GCC countries, while the direct and indirect economic contribution of tourism reached approximately $254 billion. According to GCC-Stat data, tourism generated at least 2.2 million direct jobs in 2025, with around 4.5 million jobs directly and indirectly linked to the sector.
These figures demonstrate that tourism is no longer simply a leisure activity. It has become a major pillar of economic diversification and an important source of employment and investment across the region.
One of the main challenges, however, is the limited integration between the six Gulf tourism destinations. Each country promotes its own attractions, whether in religious and cultural tourism, business and leisure, nature and heritage, ecotourism, sports, conferences or family tourism. Yet the six countries have complementary strengths that could be combined to create a more attractive regional tourism product.
A visitor arriving in the Gulf for one week, for example, should be able to visit several Gulf cities during the same trip and move between them easily. Greater coordination in tourism promotion, transportation, travel packages and visitor services could encourage longer stays and higher spending.
The GCC unified tourist visa represents an important opportunity in this regard. By allowing international visitors to travel more easily between the six countries, it could increase the length of their stays, raise tourism expenditure and benefit businesses and destinations throughout the region. The Gulf Tourism Strategy 2023–2030 also aims to increase visitor numbers, tourism spending, tourism’s contribution to GDP and employment opportunities.
Another priority is developing national capabilities. The region needs more specialized skills in hospitality, hotel and resort management, tour guiding, tourism marketing and digital services. Education and professional training must therefore be aligned with the growing requirements of the tourism industry.
As the sector recovers from the effects of the regional conflict, restoring traveler confidence will be essential. Gulf tourism has evolved from a limited leisure activity into an integrated industry linked to aviation, hotels, transportation, restaurants, retail, culture, sports, conferences and investment.
Its future success will therefore depend not only on attracting more visitors, but on the GCC countries’ ability to build a unified, sustainable and globally competitive tourism industry capable of withstanding regional and international crises.
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