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Fever, the global platform specialized in the field of live entertainment, revealed that the UAE’s efforts to attract 40 million tourists by 2030, and raise the contribution of the tourism sector to the country’s gross domestic product to 450 billion dirhams ($123 billion), would support the entertainment sector. And entertainment at the level of the country, and the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
Revenues from the leisure and entertainment sector in the region amounted to about 30 billion dirhams ($8.2 billion). The growth of the sector coincides with the brilliance of the region as a world-famous tourist destination, as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East allocate large investments to develop tourism infrastructure, while launching advertising campaigns to attract tourists from all over the world.
The UAE’s investments in the tourism sector witnessed outstanding results in recent years, as it was chosen as the best destination for international travelers in the world for the year 2022, and the country achieved revenues of approximately 108 billion dirhams ($ 29.42 billion), which is almost double the revenues of Doha, which reached to 62 billion dirhams ($16.79 billion). The tourism sector in the UAE continues to thrive, with 4.7 million tourists arriving in the first quarter of 2023.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked 13th in the world, among the most visited countries by international tourists in 2022, and the Kingdom received 7.8 million tourists in the first quarter of this year, and it is expected that this year it will exceed the number of its visitors recorded in 2019, which is 17.5 million. tourists, which will enhance its position as the fastest growing tourist destination in the world.
Fever confirmed that the influx of tourists to the Middle East and North Africa region has led to an increase in demand for leisure and entertainment offers.
Rashid Laurent Al-Amiri, General Manager of the Fever platform in the Middle East, said: “Tourism plays a pivotal role in achieving revenues and supporting the general economic growth of countries, and this role is clearly evident in the UAE, which witnessed an increase in investments in the tourism sector by 70% last year.”
He added, “The money that tourists spend on accommodation, dining, transportation, shopping, and recreational activities directly contributes to stimulating the local economy, which encourages companies to invest in developing and diversifying leisure and entertainment offerings.” Dubai is home to many companies that are active in the tourism system and seek to develop it, which contributes to the consolidation of the emirate’s leading position globally in all sectors, especially the leisure and entertainment sector.
Since its launch in 2014, the Fever platform aims to achieve its mission of enabling access to live cultural and entertainment events for all. More than 125 million users worldwide benefit from the platform. It was also able to obtain financing, worth $ 200 million, from Goldman Sachs in 2022 to expand its presence in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Fever affirms its commitment to providing exhibition opportunities for more artists and experiences in the region, as part of its endeavor to enhance its presence in the UAE and the Gulf region.