Mideast tourism likely at $3tr investment by 2020

Dubai: An investment of $3 trillion will be made in the Middle East tourism sector and general infrastructure needed to support the travel trade by 2020, a British think-tank said in a study yesterday.

Tourist arrivals into the Middle East will increase by more than 160 per cent to 170 million in 13 years, it said in a report that focused on 13 countries, including Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE.

David Smith, chief executive officer of Global Futures and Foresight, told reporters that the projections are based on an analysis of current and planned projects in the region to develop the tourism sector.

The other countries covered in the report, sponsored by Arabian Travel Market organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions, are Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Yemen.

Airports

Regional airports will be handling 320 million passengers a year by 2012. More than $25 billion worth of airport projects are under way in the region.

Dubai is building a new airport in Jebel Ali that will be able to handle 120 million passengers annually.

The city has a target to attract 15 million tourists in 2015, a senior Dubai tour-ism official said yesterday.

"The Middle East is one of the key drivers of air travel and is set to buy 940 new and 236 old aircraft between 2005 and 2025," Smith said.

According to recent market estimates, the value of ongoing infrastructure, real estate and tourism projects in the Gulf has already crossed $1 trillion.

"The projected $3 trillion investment will be made not just in tourism facilities but also in infrastructure such as water desalination plants and transport networks," Smith told Gulf News.

The region will see its income from tourism grow from an estimated $150 billion in 2006 to $280 billion in 2020.

The report was presented on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition.

Participation grew by 24 per cent increase over last year, said Tom Nutley, chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions, ATM's organiser. "The outbound potential of the Middle East continues unabated and competition for the region's traveller is becoming more intense than ever," he said.

ATM at a glance

First-time representations: China, Croatia, Macau, Palestine, Peru, Swaziland, Taiwan and Zimbabwe.

Visitor registrations: 122 countries, 67 per cent from the Middle East and North Africa, 16 per cent from Europe, 12 per cent from Asia, two per cent each from Africa and the Americas.

Visitor conditions: From May 1 to May 3, ATM will be a trade-only event. The show is open to the general public from 5pm on Thursday and for all opening hours on Friday. This year, adults will pay a Dh20 entry fee, while accompanied youngsters under 16 years of age will be allowed in free.

Opening hours