Tourism in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reached over 75 million arrivals in 2025, reflecting a 4.8% annual growth amid expanding sector development. Region-wide tourism spending rose to $131 billion last year, up from $120 billion in 2024, according to figures announced by GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
Intra-GCC travel grew alongside this momentum, with about 20 million tourists moving between member states in 2025. This represented a 3.6% increase compared to the previous year, evidencing stronger regional connectivity and the growing attractiveness of Gulf destinations. Saudi Arabia led regional visitation with nearly 30 million international tourists, constituting
almost 40% of all GCC visitors in 2025. Additionally, the kingdom reported welcoming approximately 3.2 million tourists from other GCC countries during the first half of 2026, indicating sustained demand across Gulf states.
Tourism’s Economic Contribution in GCC
The tourism sector’s direct and indirect impact on GCC economies amounted to roughly $254 billion in 2025, equating to 11.4% of the region’s gross domestic product. Albudaiwi highlighted that these figures demonstrate significant economic and developmental achievements within GCC countries, reflecting the sector’s expanding role in economic diversification. His remarks were made during the 10th meeting of GCC ministers responsible for tourism, held in Manama, Bahrain, with
Bahrain Tourism Minister Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi presiding over the session.
Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb attended the ministerial meeting, which coincided with Bahrain’s chairmanship of the GCC’s 46th session. Albudaiwi emphasized that the data “do not merely represent indicators of growth” but signal substantive enhancements in tourism development throughout the Gulf.
Strategies and Initiatives Discussed at GCC Tourism Ministers Meeting
The 10th GCC tourism ministers meeting focused on consolidating the sector’s resilience, expanding joint initiatives, and deepening integration among member states, aligning with the GCC Tourism Strategy 2023-2030. The ministers deliberated on a unified action plan aimed at accelerating tourism recovery and launching cooperative marketing initiatives
to reinforce the Gulf’s global tourism presence.
Key topics included plans for joint promotional campaigns, the development of integrated Gulf tourism packages, and the establishment of a GCC tourism data and indicators dashboard. These measures aim to enhance data availability, improve performance monitoring, and identify opportunities for sector growth. The ministers also discussed creating unified standards such as a common hotel-classification system and a single tourist-guide license, along with selecting the GCC Tourism Capital for 2027.
Discussions extended to international cooperation efforts to present an integrated Gulf tourism product, thereby boosting the region’s capacity to attract visitors from global markets.
These developments followed an extraordinary GCC tourism ministers meeting in April, which focused on coordination to ensure readiness for evolving conditions.
Saudi Arabia’s active participation signals its commitment to advancing shared tourism priorities within the GCC framework and enhancing collaboration between Gulf destinations.
