Tourism in the Middle East expected to generate $246 billion in 2022

The World Travel & Tourism Council, a forum for the travel and tourism industry made up of members of the global business community, has predicted strong growth in the Middle East tourism sector this year. Indeed, despite a first half of the fiscal year still very much marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the health restrictions that accompany it, the organization sees tourism as a generator of more than 246 billion dollars in the region in 2022.

A huge financial windfall

The sector is expected to account for 11.1% of the region’s total GDP this year. A significant share when one considers that several of the countries concerned are not destinations that base the majority of their income on tourism-related revenues. In addition, the number of jobs related to tourism is expected to reach approximately 11.7 million jobs.

 

A popular destination with many assets

A fact ignored by many: the Middle East was the second most visited region in the world in 2016, with over 60 million visitors. The region is known for its historical sites, museums, desert landscapes and resorts such as the seaside resorts of Dubai and Bahrain, or the Red Sea, including Hurghada in Egypt, and, in the relatively near future, the west coast of Saudi Arabia, which is currently seeking to structure an eco-responsible tourism offer.