The latest forecast from Business Monitor International (BMI) projects the number of tourist arrivals in the Middle East in 2009 will fall 3% compared to 2008. The BMI report said “BMI continues to maintain that the UAE will face a challenging period ahead in the tourism sector. Our forecast of negative growth in tourist arrivals in 2009 remains -3 percent year-on-year.
The BMI report forecasts a small recovery in growth of tourist arrivals in 2010. The report explained US and European economies accounted for 40% of total tourist arrivals in the UAE in 2007. Projections for tourism growth in the short term are “based on the impact of downward revisions this quarter to BMI’s forecast” for those economies.
