Tourism across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Qatar is expected to expand sharply over the next decade, even though the wider Middle East region faces a bruising dip next year. That is the headline finding of the World Travel and Tourism Council's Global Trends Report, sponsored by Chase Travel as lead research partner.
The combined Travel and Tourism GDP of the four economies is forecast to rise from $272 billion in 2025 to $435 billion by 2036, adding more than $163 billion, or roughly 60 percent growth. For a UAE reader, the numbers matter because tourism already touches jobs, property, aviation and retail across the country, and this data suggests that reach is set to widen further.
A rough patch before the rebound
The near-term picture is less rosy. The Middle East's Travel and Tourism sector generated approximately $386 billion in GDP during 2025, but is forecast to contract 14.5 percent to $330 billion in 2026 - making the region the only one globally expected to see a decline in Travel and Tourism GDP that year.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC President and CEO, said the Middle East was passing through a challenging period and that Travel and Tourism was often among the first sectors affected by geopolitical disruption. She added that historical evidence repeatedly demonstrated the sector's resilience, with few regions showing that capacity more clearly than the Middle East.
Looking beyond 2026, the region's Travel and Tourism GDP is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.3 percent through 2036, reaching $605 billion by then. The Middle East also handles about 14 percent of international air passengers, underlining its role as a global connectivity hub.
Saudi Arabia leads the pack
Saudi Arabia remains the region's largest tourism economy, accounting for $178 billion, or 46 percent, of the Middle East's Travel and Tourism economy in 2025. The Kingdom recorded sector growth of 7.4 percent that year, with international visitor spending up 8.2 percent and business travel spending climbing more than 55 percent. Travel and Tourism made up 14.1 percent of Saudi Arabia's GDP in 2025, and investment in the sector rose 19.4 percent. Saudi Arabia's international visitor spending is projected to more than double over the next decade, a trajectory tied to the country's broader Vision 2030 diversification push.
The UAE, Oman and Qatar
In the UAE, Travel and Tourism contributed 11.9 percent of national GDP and supported 13.6 percent of total employment in 2025, with the sector adding $68.5 billion to GDP and international visitor spending approaching $57 billion.
Oman's tourism economy is smaller but growing, projected to rise from $7.9 billion in 2025 to $12 billion by 2036. In Qatar, international visitor spending was equivalent to 94.1 percent of the country's total services exports, a sign of how central tourism has become to its services trade.
Resilience built on investment
Across the wider region, Travel and Tourism expanded 5.3 percent in 2025, ahead of global sector growth of 4.1 percent, while international visitor spending rose 5.2 percent against a global rate of 3.2 percent. The sector supported 7.1 million regional jobs last year, and business travel spending rose 23 percent.