Tourism in the Middle East and Africa is booming in 2024, led by Saudi Arabia’s initiatives to boost the region’s appeal and attract visitors.
The 2024 State of Travel report highlights a significant surge in international tourism across the Middle East and Africa, with Saudi Arabia emerging as a key player in this growth. This increase aligns with Saudi Arabia’s strategic emphasis on enhancing its tourism sector in recent years.
Here’s a closer look at the tourism trends in four prominent markets in the region: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia
In the first six months of 2024, Saudi Arabia welcomed 60 million tourists, including both international and domestic travelers. However, the kingdom has yet to release specific data separating these figures. Tourism significantly boosted Saudi Arabia’s economy, contributing $38.1 billion during this period. Since launching its international tourism initiatives in 2019, Saudi Arabia has set ambitious goals to attract 150 million visitors annually by the decade’s end, with 70 million expected from overseas. Tourism is poised to become Saudi Arabia’s second-largest industry, trailing only oil. The accompanying graph from the State of Travel report illustrates Saudi Arabia’s impressive tourism growth trajectory.
Dubai
Dubai’s tourism industry continued its upward trend, attracting 9.31 million international overnight visitors between January and June 2024, marking a 9% increase from the 8.55 million visitors during the same timeframe in 2023, as reported by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
Visitor distribution was as follows:
- North-East and South-East Asia: Accounted for 10%, with 896,000 visitors, aided by the resurgence of travel from China.
- CIS and Eastern Europe: Made up 15% with 1.37 million visitors.
- South Asia: Represented 17% of the total, contributing 1.62 million visitors.
- Africa: Represented 4% with 404,000 visitors.
- GCC and MENA Regions: These markets comprised 26% of total visitors, with 1.27 million (14%) from the GCC and 1.09 million (12%) from MENA countries.
- Americas: Comprising 7% of the total, with 617,000 visitors.
- Western Europe: Accounted for 20% of visitors, totaling 1.89 million.
- Australasia: Contributed 2%, totaling 154,000 arrivals.
Qatar
Qatar experienced a robust tourism boost, welcoming 2.63 million international visitors in the first half of 2024, reflecting a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Saudi Arabia was the top source market, providing 755,000 visitors or 29% of the total. Other significant source countries included India (8%), Bahrain (5%), the UK (4%), Kuwait (4%), Oman (4%), Germany (4%), the USA (3%), the UAE (3%), and Italy (2%).
Egypt
Egypt attracted 7.069 million tourists in the first half of 2024, slightly exceeding the 7.062 million from the same period in 2023.
- 2028 Goal: Egypt aims to draw 30 million tourists annually by 2028.
- Tourist Nights: Reached 70.2 million, up from 67.6 million in 2023.
- Tourism Revenue: Rose to $6.6 billion, a 5% increase from $6.3 billion in 2023.
Hotel Construction in the Middle East
The Middle East remains a strong player in the global tourism market, with a growing number of hotel construction projects. Lodging Econometrics reported 607 hotels under construction in the region as of mid-2024, propelled by Saudi Arabia’s ambitious economic transformation agenda.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt lead in hotel development, underscoring their rising popularity as travel destinations.
- Total Rooms: 147,088, showing a 1% increase from the previous year.
- Total Projects: 607, a 2% increase year-on-year.
Top Countries in Hotel Construction:
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): Home to 87 projects totaling 22,831 rooms.
- Qatar: 27 projects with 6,482 rooms.
- Saudi Arabia: Leading with 320 projects and 79,756 rooms.
- Oman: 28 projects adding 5,009 rooms.
- Egypt: A record 107 projects with 26,185 rooms.
These five countries account for 94% of the region’s hotel projects and 95% of the planned new rooms.
Key Cities in Hotel Development:
- Makkah, Saudi Arabia: 22 projects with 14,353 rooms.
- Doha, Qatar: 24 projects contributing 5,794 rooms.
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: 58 projects with 12,248 rooms.
- Cairo, Egypt: 39 projects with 8,789 rooms.
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 89 projects with 17,784 rooms.
Interestingly, Dubai, a major player in Middle Eastern hotel development, is not among the top cities for current hotel construction projects, a trend that warrants further exploration.
Hotel Openings and Future Projections
- By End of 2024: An additional 66 hotels are expected to open, contributing 13,723 rooms.
- First Half of 2024: 35 new hotels opened, adding 6,308 rooms.
- Forecast for 2025: 102 new hotels anticipated, offering 25,914 rooms.
- Forecast for 2026: An estimated 121 new hotels will add 24,766 rooms.
These projections highlight the ongoing expansion and dynamism of the Middle East’s hospitality sector, reflecting the region’s commitment to becoming a global tourism hub.