A young and rapidly expanding population will be the key travel driver in the Gulf region. With 28 million residents, Saudi Arabia is the most populous of the lot and will constitute nearly 60 percent of the GCC population in 2030, while the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait will add more than a third to their population during the same period, according to a new study.
Presenting the latest Amadeus-commissioned report titled “Shaping the Future of Travel in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)” to the local media on Monday, Nashat Bukhari, General Manager, Amadeus Saudi Arabia, said: “Saudi Arabia currently leads the Middle East market in terms of domestic and international air travel volume, and will continue to do so, primarily because of its youth-driven demographics, high level of smart device penetration, and diversification of economy. Saudi is using its hydrocarbon revenues to drive strategic infrastructural growth, a fact that is expected to trigger unprecedented growth in the region’s seasonal and corporate travel sector.”
According to the study, Saudi Arabia’s travel sector is also influenced by the ever-increasing number of seasonal travelers from across the globe during umrah and hajj. Apart from this, inflow of non-GCC nationals into Saudi Arabia is mostly restricted to business and family visits as there is no provision for tourism visas currently.

Saudi Arabia ‘leads’ the Mideast travel market

Saudi Arabia’s travel sector is also influenced by the ever-increasing number of seasonal travelers from across the globe during umrah and hajj. (Shutterstock)
Saudi Gazette
Tuesday 14 October 2014
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:44 - GMT 06:44
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