WTTC Highlights the Importance of Protecting the Travel and Tourism Industry in the Middle East

 A report issued by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) cited that the travel and tourism sector in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies amounted to USD 245 billion in 2019, representing nearly seven million jobs in the region (8.8 percent of the total employed population).

The breakdown of overall tourism spending in the Middle East in 2019 was split between leisure and business travel as 83 percent and 17 percent respectively.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia further recorded the fastest annual sector growth in the region during the last year, with a yearly increase of 14 percent. Travel & tourism has accounted for 9.5 percent of the country’s overall e...