Gulf Cooperation Council - Tourism Source Market Insight - 2024

The Tourism Source Market Insight: GCC report provides a thorough insight into the GCC’s domestic and outbound tourism market. The report looks at the profiles of GCC tourists and summarizes the key reasons that they travel. The report offers an in-depth analysis of traveler flows, spending patterns, main destination markets and current and future opportunities for tourism businesses seeking to tap into the GCC outbound travel market.

Key Highlights

Leisure remains the primary reason for international travel among GCC travelers. Before the pandemic hit, there was a noticeable decrease in outbound leisure travel, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -3.21% from 2015 to 2019. In 2019, the number of outbound leisure trips reached 33.27 million, but unfortunately, it experienced a significant decline of -74.87% YoY in 2020, dropping to 8.36 million.

The majority of arrivals for all six countries combined came from other GCC countries. Countries that have a smaller or less developed tourism industry tend to heavily depend on tourists from the GCC region.

According to the Traveler Spending Patterns Database, UAE and Saudi Arabian holidaymakers are among the highest travel spenders worldwide. In 2023, international travelers spent an average of $1,035 from Bahrain, $1,181 from Kuwait, $874 from Oman, $1,449 from Qatar, $1,058 from Saudi Arabia and $1,077 from UAE.

When it comes to choosing a holiday destination, GCC holidaymakers are greatly influenced by affordability and accessibility, which are in line with current global travel trends. Based on the Q3 2021 Consumer Survey by the publisher, a significant majority of respondents from the UAE (57%) and Saudi Arabia (64%) prioritize affordability when choosing their holiday destinations.

Scope

This report is part of the Source Market Insights Series. This report provides an in-depth analysis of traveler flows, spending patterns, main destination markets, as well as current and future opportunities for tourism businesses seeking to tap into the GCC outbound travel market.

Reasons to Buy

This report provides clear insight into developments in the GCC's regional and outbound tourism markets. The report uses data and analysis to discuss future trends related to domestic trips, international departures, traveler spending, and main destination markets.

The report explores the different profiles of GCC tourists and the reasons that they travel, hence providing an insight into the trends in different segments of the market.

The reader gains a strong understanding of the opportunities in the country, as well as the risks, to support better business decisions This report examines the impact of COVID-19 on GCC outbound and domestic tourism.