BULLETINS

As per Phocuswright’s latest travel research report, Middle East Online Travel Overview 2019, a winning combination of government investment, positive economic change and consumer affluence is leading the Middle East travel market into a period of strong growth. The Middle East is opening its figurative doors to the world by showcasing its cultural icons, religious meccas, world-class resorts and state-of-the-art event venues.

Local government focused on infrastructure improvements which reached record levels, with Doha, Qatar's stadium and metro-area projects running at full speed in anticipation of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Dubai has also spent in polishing up its Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Dubai Frame and the Jewel of the Creek projects to prepare for as many as 25 million visitors to the World Expo in 2020. Egypt's tourism market is now the fastest-growing in North Africa, and the government is proudly readying the US$1 billion Grand Egyptian Museum to open in 2020. In Saudi Arabia, the ambitious Vision 2030 initiative includes plans to establish the kingdom as a major tourist destination for domestic, regional and international travellers.

By 2020, nearly three quarters of the region's population will comprised by Generation Z (ages 20 and younger) and Millennials (ages 21 to 34). Religious pilgrimages continue to drive domestic and inbound tourism to Saudi Arabia during Hajj and Ramadan. Leisure travel will pick up as well, with intra-regional travel to Dubai and Egypt increasing.

Budgets, visas and safety play large roles in outbound trip decision-making. Forty percent of tourists from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries spent more than $10,000 on their most recent trip to Europe, while GCC tourism spending per capita is nearly seven times higher than the global average.