According to the Ministry of Tourism, the number of tourist arrivals increased by a yearly rate of 14.25% to 826,129 by June. This increase was due to the rise in the number of tourist arrivals from the Arab countries, Europe, and America, which altogether took up 82% of the total.
In details, the number of visitors from Arab countries, representing 32% of the total, rose by 21.45%, on a yearly basis, to 265,287. The number of Iraqi tourists went up by a yearly 18.53% to 117,178 and the number of Egyptians rose by 3.33% to 37,892 by June 2017.The number of Saudi and Kuwaiti visitors doubled to stand at 28,870 and 18,969, respectively, while the number of Emirati incomers decreased by 18.14% year- on- year to 1,047 by June 2017.
In addition, European tourists (constituting 32% of total tourists) went up by a yearly 12.40% to 276,906 by June this year. French visitors rose by an annual 17.89% to 71,582 and tourists from Germany and Italy also increased by 19.25% and 12.52% to 38,929 and 15,945, respectively, by June 2017.
American tourists, grasping a share of 17% in the total, also rose by an annual 11.06% to 143,882 by June 2017. This rise was mainly due to the yearly growth in the number of visitors from the US and Canada, which increased by 19.61% and 15.57% to 79,919 and 51,677 by June 2017, respectively.
Cumulative Number of Tourists by June
Source: Ministry of Tourism