COMCEC Tourism Outlook-2019
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As in the case of OIC tourist arrivals, the Figure 4.7 indicates that tourism receipts in the OIC
countries are concentrated in a small number of countries, almost the same countries of the
main COMCEC tourist destinations. The remaining OIC Member Countries’ tourist arrivals and
tourism receipts data are given in Appendix (Table 1 and Table 2) most OIC member statistics
are not yet available for 2018.
Turkey hosted 45.8 million tourists in 2018. Turkey recorded a 22% increase in arrivals in 2018
and reached 46 million arrivals placing the country on the 6 th country with largest tourist
volume. UAE recorded a slight increase in 2018 both in arrivals and receipts, hosting around 16
million tourists and receiving 21 billion USD tourism income. Malaysia experienced a slight
decrease in 2018 in arrivals, yet the receipts grew by almost 5%. Malaysia introduced online
visa applications for its major markets. Awareness of the country's many attractions is
improving and international transport connections are expanding, making Malaysia much more
accessible to potential visitors. As number of visitors to Malaysia increases over time, it is
expected that investment in the hotel and accommodation sector will expand. Moreover,
Malaysia Airlines and Emirates Airlines are launching a widespread code-share partnership in
2016, expanding Malaysia Airlines' access to European destinations and Emirates' access to
various destinations in Asia (BMI Research, 2016). 2018 arrivals reached almost 26 million for
Malaysia.
Tourism industry in Indonesia is growing rapidly, benefiting from proximity to major regional
markets, an expanding luxury hotel sector and greater international air connectivity. Also
supporting growth in the tourism sector is ongoing and widespread government led investment
in transport infrastructure which is gradually improving accessibility across Indonesia's many
islands. Indonesia has also introduced visa free travel for visitors from 90 countries allowing a
30-day tourism stay for many markets including Saudi Arabia and India (BMI Research, 2016).
Saudi Arabia reported a slight decrease in arrivals and receipts in 2018. Following the tragic
loss of life in the September 2015 stampede during a Hajj ritual outside of Mecca, the
government, having come under significant international criticism for its handling of the event,
has committed to major investments in transport, safety and accommodation infrastructure in
order to support the rapid expected expansion in international arrivals each year for religious
pilgrimage. The government is reportedly considering easing visa restrictions to encourage
more international tourism arrivals. Further, the outlook for sector has arguably brightened
following the launch in April 2016 of the government's economic diversification strategy,
referred to as Vision 2030. Religious pilgrimages remain the largest source of inbound tourism
to Saudi Arabia and the government continues to invest in supporting infrastructure such as the
450km high speed rail network connecting Madinah with Makkah, King Abdullah Economic City
and Jeddah (BMI Research, 2016). Saudi Arabia hosted more than 15 million arrivals in 2018.
Egypt another major OIC destination continued its rebound and recorded a 37% increase in
arrivals and 49% in receipts thanks to increase in visitors from European source markets.
Lebanon recorded a slight increase of 6% in 2018 concerning arrivals and more than 10% in
receipts. In 2018, Morocco (8%) posted strong results on arrivals and receipts (5%). The
strength of the Euro against the Moroccan dirham, combined with the increasing number of low-
cost airlines and routes between European countries and Morocco, will drive up the number of