According to the findings of a study launched by Amadeus, a travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, problems may arise due to over investment in infrastructure and airline capacity. The Middle East has planned major investments in the travel industry, for example, $86 billion to build airports
Approximately $4 trillion is earmarked for travel and tourism projects and $86bn is planned to develop Middle Eastern airports. However, current airport expansion plans could create overcapacity and inefficiency in the 3 GCC airports.
According to the study said the amount of tourists traveling to the Middle East is projected to double to 136 million by 2020 compared with 54 million in 2008. the area is ready to become a global travel hub by 2025.
Religious travel is a is an important contribution. There are three million pilgrims visiting Mecca every year and 2 million visiting Umrah.