Revealed: Gulf tourists spend 200% more than other visitors to UK

“The GCC countries are very important inbound tourism markets for the UK, as a group it is the second-most valuable market for visitor spending when all six countries are combined,” said VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates.

On average, Gulf tourists spent £2,578 ($3,254) on their trips to the UK last year and took longer trips than previously, reaching 16 nights – up from an all market average of eight.

Between January and June this year, the UK recorded 411,000 visits from the GCC, contributing £945 million ($1.2bn) to the UK economy. Flight bookings from the Middle East overall to Britain are steadily recovering this year, reaching approximately 93 percent of pre-Covid levels.

This comes ahead of the anticipation for the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which is set to come into effect on February 22, 2024.

“We expect more visitors from the GCC to take advantage of the ease and affordability of ETA scheme and travel to the UK,” Yates added.

Since the government launched the ETA scheme starting with Qatar on October 25, there has been a “steady flow of applications,” she said. Qataris make up one of the largest contributors to the UK economy from the six-member bloc, with expenditures totalling £169 million ($213mn) in the first six months of 2023.

Nationals from Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan will be required to obtain an ETA for visits to the UK through the new system, which will replace the existing Electronic Visa Waivers (EVW) that Gulf nationals currently apply for. The new application process, which will begin on February 1 next year, will bring with it several improvements including a two-year visa, reduced cost of £10 ($12) and unlimited visits.

Under the current EVW, Gulf nationals are required to pay £30 ($37) per visit and Jordanians pay £100 ($126) for a visit visa.

VisitBritain expects GCC visitor spending and visitation numbers to rebound to 2019 levels by 2024 and 2025 respectively.