Middle East tourism spend to soar 50%...

ATM report predicts overnight visitors from Asia Pacific to double by 2030

Tourism spend in the Middle East will be 50% higher than 2024, reaching US$350 billion by 2030, according to the just-released ATM Travel Trends Report 2025.

The report from Tourism Economics for Arabian Travel Market (ATM) highlights significant rises for business travel, the luxury segment and sports tourism.

This comes as Middle East airlines are predicted to be the best performing globally in 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association, with the highest net profit per passenger of all regions, more than three times the global average.

ATM's report reveals that spending on Middle East business travel will grow 1.5 times faster than the global average, while on the luxury front, the region is attracting a new generation of high-net-worth travellers, primarily to high-end hotels in the UAE, where there is the highest number of premium properties.

Saudi Arabia is also attracting luxury travellers with eye-catching resorts such as Desert Rock and Shebara, recently named on TIME’s 'World's Greatest Places' list in 2025, at The Red Sea.

Inbound travel to the Middle East is set to grow by 13% per year up to 2030. while outbound business travel is predicted to rise 9% per year.

The report says European source markets make up 50% of all leisure travel to the Middle East, with India and the UK the top inbound leisure source markets in value terms, followed by China, with leisure spend by Chinese visitors predicted to more than double by 2030.

Overnight stays by visitors from Asia Pacific and Africa are also expected to double by 2030.

For outbound travel, the report says Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand and the UK are preferred destinations.

This backs up findings of the 2025 Connecting Travel Insight Report which explores 10 of the leading outbound destinations for GCC markets, highlighting the new hotels and experiences that travel agents can book for their clients.

The next edition of ATM will take place in Dubai from 4-7 May 2026.

For more information, visit www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb

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