·
GCC
to welcome 9.8 million Indian visitors by 2024 with CAGR growth of 10%
·
UAE
to experience highest proportionate increase in arrivals from India
The
number of Indian tourists travelling to the GCC is expected to increase 81%
from 5.4 million in 2018 to 9.8 million in 2024, growing at a Compound Annual
Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10%, according to the latest data published ahead of Arabian
Travel Market (ATM) 2020.
As
destinations throughout the Middle East prepare to showcase their latest
offering at ATM 2020, which is being held at Dubai World Trade Centre from
Sunday 19 – Wednesday 22 April 2020, Colliers
International predicts more than 20% of India’s total outbound
market will travel to the GCC by 2024 – with business, place of work and
leisure underpinning this demand.
Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “This influx of Indian
visitors to the GCC shows no sign of abating, with every reason to believe
India will maintain its position as a top source market as the region prepares
to welcome an estimated increase of 81% by 2024, providing a significant boost
to the region’s tourism industry as we look ahead.
“This
projected growth is being supported by a number of key stakeholders in the
region, from immigration initiatives and megaevents, to hotels, F&B venues,
resorts, theme parks and malls – all of which appeal to Indian travellers.
“ATM
is witnessing this growth firsthand, in 2019, 10% of the total buyers at the
show were from India. In terms of potential, we are only scratching the surface
as the Indian middle class represents just 3% or 40 million of the total Indian
population and average real wages set to quadruple between 2013 and 2030.”
In
2018, the UAE welcomed 2.89 million Indian tourists with this figure expected
to reach 5.29 million by 2024, increasing at a CAGR of 11%, according to ATM’s
official research partner, Colliers International.
Adding
to this, India retained its top spot on Dubai’s
list of source markets for inbound tourism, with almost 1 million Indian
tourists arriving in the emirate during the first half of 2019.
Despite
the UAE leading comparative growth, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait are
all expected to witness an increase of 10% respectively between 2018 and 2024.
“Driving
this growth is a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC, relaxed visa
regulations for Indian nationals, additional airline routes, increasing business
opportunities, a renewed focus on Indian weddings and the MICE segment as well
as the increasing popularity of adventure and eco-tourism in countries
including the UAE and Oman,” said Curtis.
Last
year, Indian tourists accounted for approximately 26.1 million of total
outbound trips made, with reports from the UNWTO estimating this figure will
increase by 92% to reach more than 50 million by 2022.
Indian
tourists are among the world’s highest spenders while travelling abroad, with outbound
travel and tourism expenditure to increase from US$21.4 billion in 2018 to US$39.3
billion by 2024.
On
average, Indian travellers spent approximately US$1,100 per trip made to the
GCC in 2018, according to the latest data from Euromonitor International, with
business and experience-seeking tourists likely to spend at least 15% more per
trip.
Curtis
added: “As GCC travel and tourism companies and destinations look to attract a
larger share of the Indian market, ATM 2020 will introduce the India
Market Forum as part of the show’s new forum & networking series. The
session will outline what destinations are doing to attract visitors from this
key market while also providing an informal networking event for buyers from
India and exhibitors.”
ATM, considered by industry professionals as a barometer
for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed almost 40,000
people to its 2019 event with representation from 150 countries. Looking ahead,
ATM will adopt Events for Tourism Growth as the official show theme for the
2020 edition of the show.
