Tourism to drive diversification in the Gulf

Last week’s Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai shone the spotlight on a sector that has seen tremendous growth post-pandemic, and which is a core part of long-term plans for economic diversification across the GCC.

The GCC’s tourism plans are ambitious, but the sector has the potential to be a driving force in broader economic diversification, as the region's economies seek to reduce their reliance on oil and gas in the coming decades. Delivery of tourism infrastructure will underpin investment and growth over the medium term, and growth in both domestic and international visitor numbers will create jobs and drive spending in domestic markets as well as diversifying export receipts away from hydrocarbons.

Read the column in The National