A report ahead of ATM 2020 has revealed 2.8 million UK residents will travel to the GCC in 2024, an additional 500,000 travellers when compared to 2018.

According to research ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020, arrivals from the UK to the GCC will increase 22% over the period 2018 to 2024, driven by new and direct flight routes, competitive airfares and a growing number of leisure travellers.

UK tourists travelling to the GCC are expected to generate an estimated USD 6.3 billion in travel and tourism revenue by 2024, an increase of 34% when compared with figures from 2018, according to the research data.

Building on this, total tourism spend in the GCC, reached USD 70.2bn last year, with the UK travellers average spend during trips to the region, 27% higher than the average spend of any other visitor.

“This trend is set to continue over the next four years”

Danielle Curtis, exhibition director for ME at the Arabian Travel Market, said: “Historically, the UK and the GCC have enjoyed excellent travel and tourism links and this trend is set to continue over the next four years despite the economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the bleak pound to dollar exchange rate, in which sterling has declined 18.9% since 19 June 2015.

“However, the UAE is expected to continue to be the preferred GCC destination for British tourists, welcoming a projected 2.23 million visitors by 2023. Saudi Arabia will follow with 251,000 visitors, while Oman will welcome 165,000, Bahrain 159,000 and Kuwait 5,000.”