"Economy" A dialogue session will be organized at the Arab Travel Market on tourism initiatives in the GCC countries

DUBAI, 6 MAY / WAM / The Ministry of Economy organized a dialogue session entitled “The Most Important Tourism Development Initiatives in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries” during the Arabian Travel Market 2024 exhibition in Dubai, in the presence of His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, and a number of representatives of the tourism sector. In cooperation countries.

The session discussed the importance of developing a future growth strategy for the Gulf tourism sector, and enhancing its role in the growth and sustainability of Gulf economies, through a number of mechanisms and joint cooperation efforts, such as activating the unified tourist visa to facilitate the flow of tourists between the GCC countries.

The session was organized in cooperation with REED and focused on “Empowering Innovation: Developing the Travel Sector Through Entrepreneurship,” with the participation of a number of decision makers and specialists in the regional and global travel and tourism sector.

Bin Touq said that the tourism sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries continues to achieve increasing growth and has proven its ability to push national economies to higher levels, which highlights the importance of joint Gulf cooperation to enhance the benefit from the unified Gulf visa initiative that will enter into force next year, and develop a unified tourism path. It connects the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and outlines the features of the tourist journey for visitors to the region, which contributes to enhancing tourism and economic integration at the region level.

He reviewed the most prominent indicators of the tourism sector in the UAE, stressing the effectiveness of the sector’s role in pushing the national economy to higher levels and enhancing the country’s position as a global tourist destination, as the sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product reached 11.7% in 2023, and is expected to reach 12%. % in 2024.

The “Unified Gulf Tourist Visa Project” was approved during the 44th Gulf Summit in December 2023, which contributes to highlighting the diverse tourism components of the GCC countries, increasing inter-trip flights and the number of hotel guests, increasing spending and the length of stay of tourists in the GCC countries, and enhancing its position as a leading tourist destination. For regional and international tourists.

The session discussed a number of topics related to the development of the tourism sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, exploring the new opportunities that the unified Gulf visa will provide, its potential impact on the tourism movement between the countries of the region, and the role of educational institutions and programs in qualifying cadres in the tourism and hospitality sector, in addition to ways to enhance efforts. Cooperation between the Council countries and the relevant bodies to enrich the tourism experience of visitors to the region, through marketing the tourist destinations of each country, and working to coordinate promotional campaigns for Gulf tourist areas.

The total contribution of the tourism sector to the gross domestic product of the GCC countries in 2021 reached $109 billion, and the percentage of international tourists’ spending reached 55% of the total spending of visitors to the GCC countries, while the sector’s contribution to providing job opportunities reached 9.8% of the total job opportunities provided. Countries in 2021.

Hotel establishments in the GCC countries recorded an increasing growth, reaching 10,649 establishments by the end of 2022, with a growth of 1.2% compared to 2016, with a total number of rooms reaching 674,832 rooms, with a growth of 0.4%.

The GCC countries aim to increase inbound tourist spending at an annual growth rate of 8.0%, and for spending to reach $188 billion by 2030.