The tourism sector within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) contributed an estimated $254.7 billion to the regional economy in 2025, marking an average annual growth rate of 7.3 percent since 2019, surpassing the global expansion rate of 6.7 percent, officials reported. These figures were announced during the eighth Regional Workshop on Innovation in Tourism Statistics held on August 31 in Muscat, Oman.

Jassem Mohammed Al-Budailwi, GCC secretary-general, highlighted the sector's robust growth amid the ongoing implementation of the Gulf Tourism Strategy, which aims to enhance the region’s tourism competitiveness through 2025. The strategy has seen an average progress rate of approximately 73.8 percent, with several joint initiatives already underway.

The region welcomed about 757.7 million tourists in 2025, generating inbound visitor spending estimated at $131.9 billion. According to Al-Budailwi, the GCC’s tourism accounted for roughly 5 percent of global international tourist movements and 6.9 percent of worldwide tourism revenues.

The two-day workshop, organized by the GCC Statistical Center, brought together officials and over 30 specialists from the statistical authorities of member states. It focused on advancing tourism data collection and analysis by integrating diverse data sources to improve statistical accuracy and comparability.

Participants discussed challenges related to relying on single-source data for tourism statistics and explored methodologies for linking, matching, calibrating, and reconciling information from multiple sources. The discussions also addressed the legal, institutional, and technical frameworks required to facilitate effective data exchange within the GCC.

In addition to reviewing progress on statistical innovation, the workshop underscored the importance of regional cooperation in tourism promotion, knowledge sharing, and unified tourist guidance. The GCC’s committee on tourism had met in December 2024 to advance these collaborative efforts, according to reports.

Overall, the workshop served to reinforce the GCC’s commitment to leveraging data-driven approaches to further develop its tourism sector and sustain its economic contributions amid growing global competition.