UK visitors to GCC to increase 22% by 2024

Arrivals from the UK to the GCC will increase 22% over the period 2018 to 2024, driven by new and direct flight routes, competitive air fares and a growing number of leisure travellers, according to the latest data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market, ATM, 2020, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19 to 22, 2020.

According to research carried out by Colliers International, on behalf of ATM, as many as 2.8 million UK residents will travel to the GCC in 2024, an additional 500,000 travellers when compared to 2018 arrival figures.

Adding to this, figures from ATM 2019 show the number of delegates, exhibitors and attendees interested in doing business with the UK increased by 5%.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “Historically, the UK and the GCC have enjoyed excellent travel and tourism links and this trend is set to continue over the next four years despite the economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the bleak pound to dollar exchange rate, in which sterling has declined 18.9% since June 19, 2015.

“However, the UAE is expected to continue to be the preferred GCC destination for British tourists, welcoming a projected 2.23 million visitors by 2023. Saudi Arabia will follow with 251,000 visitors, while Oman will welcome 165,000, Bahrain 159,000 and Kuwait 5,000.”

UK tourists travelling to the GCC are expected to generate an estimated US$6.3 billion in travel and tourism revenue by 2024, an increase of 34% when compared with figures from 2018, according to the research data.