Mubasher: Tourism from Nordic countries to the GCC is expected to generate $810 million in revenue by 2024, according to data released ahead of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) event in 2020.
The UAE may see the highest growth in revenue generated by tourism from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, with the total amount spent by tourists from these countries expected to reach $718 million by 2024, according to the latest Colliers International research.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia is projected to witness the second-largest increase followed by Bahrain, with total Nordic tourism spend in these countries estimated to reach $86.67 million and $53 million, respectively, by 2024.
“The Nordic countries’ outbound tourism market has experienced incremental growth over the last five years, with 50.5 million overseas visits made by residents during 2018 alone,” exhibition director at the ATM, Danielle Curtis, commented.
Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia have been popular destinations for Norwegian business tourists for many years owing to their interests in the oil industry, while Swedish, Icelandic, Danish, and Finnish tourists prefered the UAE and the GCC region in general due to its year-round sunshine.
“The UAE will continue to be the preferred GCC destination for Nordic tourists, welcoming a projected 342,200 tourists by 2024. Saudi Arabia and Oman will follow with 17,300 and 16,500 respectively, while Bahrain welcomes 7,000 and Kuwait 800,” Curtis said.
Scheduled to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 19-22 April 2020, ATM is a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector. The event welcomed almost 40,000 people in 2019 with representation from 150 countries.
