Travel and tourism in the Middle East are no longer simply a supporting sector for local economies. It has become a major driver of economic diversification, investment and the transformation of cities and destinations.

The Middle East’s travel and tourism sector grew 5.3% in 2025, outpacing global growth of 4.1%, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The sector contributed $385.8 billion to the region’s GDP and supported 7.1 million jobs. Visitor numbers further highlight the region’s transformation, with international tourist arrivals approaching 100 million in 2025, 39% above 2019 levels, according to UN Tourism.

The UAE continued to demonstrate the strength of a mature tourism ecosystem. Travel and tourism contributed nearly $68.5 billion to the UAE economy in 2025. Dubai alone welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors, while Dubai International (DXB) handled a record 95.2 million passengers, the highest annual traffic of any airport globally. Saudi Arabia recorded more than $81 billion in domestic and inbound tourism spending from 123 million visitors in 2025. Egypt received a record 19 million tourists, up 21%, and Morocco logged a record 19.8 million arrivals, with tourism revenue reaching $14.8 billion. Qatar’s international visitors reached 5.1 million, and Jordan’s tourism revenue grew 7.6% to $7.79 billion.

In 2026, the sector is navigating a challenging environment, with geopolitical tensions disrupting airspace and travel flows. WTTC forecasts a 14.5% decline in the region’s travel and tourism GDP to $330 billion. Meanwhile, the region’s aviation sector was severely disrupted earlier this year. Passenger demand among Middle Eastern carriers fell 60.8% year on year in March and 46.6% in April, according to IATA.

The disruption has since shown signs of easing. By July, the decline in passenger demand among Middle Eastern carriers had moderated to 9.5%. In August, Dubai recorded its strongest month since February, welcoming 869,000 international overnight visitors, taking the emirate’s total to 6.97 million for the first eight months of the year. In the same period, Qatar welcomed 2.34 million visitors. Meanwhile, Oman received 2.15 million inbound visitors in the first seven months of 2026, roughly flat year-on-year.

Against this backdrop, investment in tourism infrastructure, aviation, hospitality, and destination development continues across the region. WTTC forecasts that the region will be the world’s fastest-growing travel and tourism market through 2036, with annual growth of 6.3% taking the sector’s GDP to $605 billion. Industry highlights include plans by Miral and Disney for the region’s first Disney theme park and resort on Yas Island in the UAE, alongside plans unveiled this year for new Warner Bros. World attractions based on the DC and Harry Potter franchises. Red Sea Global opened its second giga-destination, AMAALA, in July, while Diriyah Company signed a $728 million deal for the Waldorf Astoria Superblock in the same month.

This year, Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 Travel and Tourism Leaders 2026 features 100 leaders driving the Middle East’s largest airlines, airports, hotel groups, destinations, and travel services across the public and private sectors. The UAE leads with 56 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 18 and Egypt with eight.

Hotels and resorts account for half of the ranking, with 50 entries, followed by the public sector with 14, airlines with 11, and airports with seven. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline & Group, retains the top spot, followed by Hamad Al Khater, group CEO of Qatar Airways, and Ageel Alshaibani, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA).