INBOUND tourism in the Middle East is on an upward trajectory, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Impact 2013, which predicted a positive future ahead for the region’s tourism sector.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the Arabian Travel Mart 2013, Reed Travel Exhibitions’ portfolio director, Mark Walsh, said tourism contributed US$76.6 billion to GDP regionally in 2013, a number that should grow 4.2 per cent this year.
Walsh highlighted Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as bright spots in the region.
In the UAE, industry investment will grow 12 per cent from last year’s US$22.5 billion.
According to reports by Bloomberg and Reuters, Dubai last week released the Dubai Vision for Tourism 2020 programme to develop tourism, aiming to double visitors to 20 million by 2020 and triple tourism receipts to 300 billion dirhams (US$81.7 billion).
The plan outlined three focus areas: promoting the state as a family destination and the regional MICE capital, and increased emphasis on business visitors.
In Oman, the government has injected US$39 million into the development of the Dhofar province to promote its annual Khareef or monsoon festival, while room capacity is predicted to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent from now until 2016, boosting its current 5,331 rooms by another 2,000 by end-2013.
On the other hand, Qatar is ramping up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A US$65 billion investment plan will see more than 85,000 new hotel rooms come on stream and Qatar is forecast to welcome 3.7 million visitors yearly by 2022.
In Saudi Arabia, the WTTC estimated tourist arrivals would grow at a compounded annual growth rate of four per cent by 2022, driven by expansion in all sectors including religious, business and leisure travel. Authorities have earmarked US$80 billion for key infrastructure projects including airport expansion, railways and roads.
