OECD report shows Middle East was world’s fastest growing region prior to war
The Middle East and North Africa were home to some of global tourism's fastest-growing destinations through 2024 and into 2025, but that momentum has been abruptly cut short by Middle East war that…
The Middle East and North Africa were home to some of global tourism’s fastest-growing destinations through 2024 and into 2025, but that momentum has been abruptly cut short by Middle East war that erupted at the end of February 2026, according to the OECD’s newly released Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report. Saudi Arabia’s international arrivals had surged 67 per cent between 2019 and 2025, from 17. 5 million to a peak of 29. 7 million in 2024, the fastest expansion of any market tracked in the report. Neighbouring Morocco was close behind, up 53 per cent over the same period, while Egypt posted 47 per cent growth from 2019 to 2025, including a 20 per cent jump in the 2025 year alone, the strongest single-year growth of any country in the OECD’s dataset. Egypt’s arrivals reached 15. 8 million in 2024, well above its 2019 peak of 13 million, generating USD 15. 3 billion in tourism revenue. Even so, the OECD’s data shows arrivals to Saudi Arabia easing 2 per cent in the 2025 year-on-year comparison, an early signal of the regional tensions that had already begun building well before the war broke out. Israel has been hit far harder over a longer stretch, with international arrivals still down 70. 8 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, the report found, reflecting the toll of conflict in the region dating back through 2025 and into the current war. The OECD’s data shows the wider OECD picture held up through last year: international arrivals rose 8. 1 per cent to 819. 5 million in 2024 and grew a further estimated 3. 4 per cent through 2025. That trajectory broke in early 2026 once the conflict escalated into full-scale war, with air services through the Gulf region’s strategic aviation hubs severely restricted as commercial flights ran well below pre-war volumes. Energy prices soared as a result, pushing up airfares and transport costs, while tightening jet fuel markets and longer flight paths triggered cancellations. UN Tourism now expects global arrivals growth in 2026 to land 1 to 2 percentage points below its initial 3-4 per cent forecast, depending on how long the disruption runs. Destinations reliant on Gulf hubs, and the wider region, have been hit hardest, while some other destinations have picked up diverted demand as travellers shift routes rather than cancel trips outright. The OECD noted some countries are responding by diversifying away from “higher-risk” travel corridors and leaning into domestic and neighbouring markets, while airlines, tour operators and other providers are already factoring the disruption into their planning for 2027 and beyond. Beyond the Middle East, the 2026 edition puts its policy weight behind three priorities: co-ordinating national and local tourism governance so destinations can better manage visitor flows; strengthening the social benefits of tourism for host communities; and, for the first time, building sector-wide capacity to adapt to extreme weather-related events, including early warning systems and resilient infrastructure investment. The OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report was produced by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, led by director Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, with co-financing from the European Union, and includes country-specific policy and statistical profiles for 53 OECD and partner countries. SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR FREESign up to receive a subscription to the Travel Weekly daily email newsletter