The rapidly changing demographics in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which are younger, wealthier and more family-oriented than other regions worldwide, will fuel major shift in the region’s travel over the next 15 years, according to an Amadeus-commissioned report.

The report, Shaping the Future of Travel in the Gulf Cooperation Council: Big Travel Effects (download copy here) reveals the coming-of-age of the region’s youthful population will bring about a new travel landscape as the digital natives instinctively turn to mobile technologies and social media to plan, book and manage travel.

Written by Frost & Sullivan and Insights, the report finds that nearly 25% of the GCC population today is under 15 years of age. As this demographic becomes tomorrow’s decision-makers it will shake up traditional behaviours to become increasingly self-directed.

Additional unfolding demographic forces such as a steady inflow of expatriate workers, robust natural population growth and a growing middle class, will combine to drive a new and divergent set of travel behaviours and needs in the region.

Other key findings:

• Diversification: Economies in the GCC are diversifying beyond oil, and specialist tourism sectors such as cruise, meetings and conferences and medical tourism play a prominent role in this diversification. As a result, GCC countries have maintained an average GDP growth of over 5% in the past decade, with a greater increase expected in the future.
• Trickle-down effects: Tourism will have a trickle-down effect into other sectors, furthering economic growth and diversification. Hospitality and construction in particular will benefit as the number of travellers entering or passing through the region increases. Qatar expects 3.7 million tourists in 2022 due to the FIFA World Cup, and is investing $20 billion on tourism infrastructure and $140 billion on transport.
• Easing travel requirements: The GCC is working to make travel easier, both within the region and outbound. The difficulty of obtaining a visa has been the main reason for 33% of travellers surveyed not taking trips as often as they would like. By improving accessibility within the region and abroad, the number of intra-regional travellers is expected to increase four-fold by 2030.

“The Gulf region is poised for a new era of travel as investment in infrastructure, new tourism sectors, and governmental initiatives to ease intra- and extra-regional movement make the GCC more attractive to leisure and business travellers,” said Antoine Medawar, vice president, Middle East and North Africa, Amadeus (pictured right).

He added that the travel providers who address the nuanced needs of the region’s population stand to thrive in the coming decades.

Mona Faraj, managing partner of Insights noted that travel in the Gulf region is changing. “Economic diversification and a move from oil is an important driver, but there are many more subtle factors also at play. Changes in population and geopolitical pressure to open borders and make movement easier are also impacting the future of travel here.”

 •The report uses information gathered from a survey of 1,000 travellers from the region, as well as interviews with thought leaders in the travel industry

* Image credit (colourful camel): Banana Republic images/Shutterstock