Tourism in the global economy is no longer a complementary sector or activity linked only to the movement of travelers, hotels and restaurants. Rather, it has today become one of the most important arenas for investment, growth and diversification of sources of income. This is what is currently being discussed in the French capital, Paris, which is hosting the World Investment Summit 2026. The message seems clearer: tourism and hospitality have become a destination for global capital, and not just a destination for tourists.

The summit, which brings together investors, decision makers and business leaders from different markets, comes at a time when the tourism sector is witnessing a fundamental shift in the nature of investments. From traditional investment in hotels and resorts to a broader system that includes tourist destinations, entertainment, cultural, environmental and sports tourism, digital technologies, transportation, airports, restaurants and tourist experiences.
This transformation holds special importance for the Arabian Gulf region, which has become one of the most active regions in developing tourism projects and attracting international hotel brands. It has transformed from a tourist market into an investment platform, and this is what economic indicators revealed, as tourism has become a growing player in the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The direct contribution of travel and tourism to the Gulf GDP reached about 93.5 billion dollars in 2024, while the number of workers in the sector reached about 1.7 million people, and the number of hotel establishments in the GCC countries reached about 11.2 thousand establishments containing more than 711 thousand rooms.

These numbers reflect the expansion of the market, but at the same time they reveal the size of the investment opportunities that remain in front of the sector, especially as the Gulf countries continue to target larger numbers of visitors and diversify their tourism products.
The next stage will not just be a race to build new hotel rooms, but rather a race to develop integrated tourist destinations capable of producing demand throughout the year. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia constitutes the most daring model and presents a clear model for the shift from traditional tourism investment to investment in an integrated system of destinations. According to a recent report launched by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism in June 2026, new tourism investments in the Kingdom exceeded $120 billion, with plans to add more than 200,000 new hotel rooms by 2030. The private sector is expected to provide about Half of it. More than 50 international hospitality brands are also working to expand their presence in the Saudi market.
Here lies the importance of the Saudi experience. The investor does not just enter into a single hotel project, but rather finds before him a system of destinations and major projects in Al-Ula, the Red Sea, Asir, Jeddah, and others, in addition to infrastructure, events, aviation, transportation, and services. The opportunities offered to the private sector appear in projects such as Al-Ula, the Red Sea, Jeddah, and Souda, where investment opportunities include hotels, resorts, hotel housing, restaurants, retail, entertainment, infrastructure, and support services.

The bottom line here is precisely the concept of the new tourism investment: Do not just build a hotel, but invest in a destination capable of creating demand, and from Paris to Riyadh, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Manama, Muscat and Kuwait, a new map of tourism investment is being formed, and with it the following question is raised: How many tourists can we receive? Rather, the most important question has become: How much economic value can we create from each tourist... and how many investors can we attract to create this value? And here lies the real competition for Gulf tourism in the coming years.
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