Asian traveller in Dubai. Photo Credit: AdobeStock/WaitforLight
Asia is set to become a more powerful engine of Middle East tourism growth over the next five years, led by China’s post-pandemic rebound, India’s expanding outbound market and rapid gains from Southeast Asian source countries, according to the ATM Travel Trends Report 2026 by ICCA in association with Tourism Economics.
Chinese leisure nights in the Middle East are projected to rise 160% between 2025 and 2030 – the strongest uplift among the highlighted markets.
China’s share of inter-regional leisure travel to the region is expected to gain 1.2 percentage points to 2.5%, while the Middle East’s share of all Chinese leisure nights climbs from 2.7% to 3.3%. Chinese visitors also spend more than twice as much per night as the typical visitor to the Middle East.
A leading Asia Pacific feeder, India is expected to grow significantly. The Middle East captured 14.3% of Indian leisure nights in 2025, a share forecast to reach 18.8% by 2030.
Overall, Indian outbound leisure travel is expected to grow 33% over the period, while China’s global outbound leisure nights more than double, rising 111%. Each market is expected to add more than 20 million households able to afford international travel over the coming decade.
The opportunity extends beyond the two Asian giants. Leisure nights from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore are each forecast to increase by more than 80% through 2030.
In business travel, China is projected to deliver the fastest growth among the major source markets, with visits rising 99%. India remains the largest longhaul business source, generating 2.4 million visits in 2025 and accounting for 23% of inter-regional arrivals, with 54% growth forecast by 2030.
Pakistan is expected to grow by more than 80%, while Indonesia and Bangladesh are each set to expand by at least 90%.
The destination backdrop is equally bullish. GCC international arrivals are forecast to grow at a 10.2% annual rate from 2025 to 2030, compared with 7.4% for South Asia, 6.9% for North Africa and 5.2% for the rest of the Middle East. By 2030, the wider Middle East is expected to receive 66 million more inbound visitors than in 2025, a 39% increase, and generate an additional $116 billion in visitor spending, up 57%.
Longhaul demand will be central to that expansion. Inter-regional visits to the GCC are projected to rise 55% through 2030, almost twice the 28% increase expected from within the Middle East. Across the wider Middle East, the corresponding forecasts are 43% and 30%.
As for business travel destinations in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, with arrivals forecast to rise about 150% by 2030, although the UAE is expected to remain the GCC’s largest inbound business destination.