Middle East Led World in Tourism Recovery Before Israel-Gaza War: 7 Facts

Skift Take

International tourist arrivals through September were 20% above pre-pandemic levels – no other region had fully recovered.

Dawit Habtemariam

The Middle East lost its tourism growth momentum once the Israel-Gaza War started in October. Before the conflict, the region was a star performer in the global tourism industry. Here are seven facts about Middle East tourism:

• The Middle East was the fastest-growing tourism region. International tourist arrivals through September were 20% above pre-pandemic levels, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. No other region has yet fully recovered — let alone surpassed their pre-pandemic level.

• Tour operators were investing in Middle East itineraries. “We actually launched the Middle East as a region this year a couple of months before this happened,” said Alex Malcom, founder of Jacada Travel, a private luxury tour operator. Now? “It’s frozen.”

• Israel was an outlier. Its tourism sector was still recovering from the pandemic. The country hosted 2.9 million tourist arrivals between January and October, according to Israel’s Bureau of Central Statistics. That was up from last year’s 2.1 million — but down 3.7 million in 2019.

• Governments acted to stop the cancellations. Egypt’s government has been offering financial incentives per flight landing in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh (which borders Gaza) and working with the tourism industry to stay committed to Egypt, Reuters reported in November.