Entertainment Sector in the GCC
Believing in the role of the entertainment sector in building non-rentier economies, Mashroo3k Consultancy presents key indicators of the industry in the GCC countries:
- The total number of museums in the GCC: 306 museums
- Total visitors to these museums: 6,032,840 visitors
- Total number of hotel establishments: 11,119 establishments
Entertainment in Saudi Arabia
- Total entertainment events: 690 events, spanning 9,784 days
- Total event attendees: 34,699,458 individuals
- Number of archaeological, historical, and heritage museums: 33 museums
- Number of private museums: 195 museums
- Total archaeological sites: 8,499 sites
- Annual visitation permits issued for these sites: 178,020 permits
- The entertainment sector is expected to contribute 4.2% to Saudi Arabia’s GDP in the coming years.
Entertainment in the UAE
- Total museums: 41 museums
- Total visitors to museums: 2,322,807 visitors
- Total public parks: 260 parks
Entertainment in Oman
- Total museums: 12 museums
- Annual visitors to museums: Over 408,000 visitors
- Total forts and castles: 51 forts and castles
- Annual visitors to forts and castles: 427,000 visitors
Entertainment in Qatar
- Total sports facilities: 291 facilities
- Football stadiums: 90 stadiums
- Indoor halls: 37 halls
- Total cinemas: 99 cinemas
- Seating capacity: 14,108 seats
- Total films screened annually: 3,549 films
- Total annual visitors to museums and exhibitions: 1,038,470 visitors
Entertainment in Kuwait
- Total visitors to Kuwait Touristic Enterprises Company services: 1,308,514 visitors
- Total museum visitors: 108,987 visitors
- Total libraries: 814 libraries
- Total classified books in libraries: 2,087,513 books
GCC Entertainment Investments
GCC governments are investing heavily in entertainment to enhance quality of life and provide high living standards. Recent years have seen a surge in parks, live entertainment, and visual and performing arts initiatives.
- The GCC entertainment and hospitality construction market is expected to reach $642.3 billion by 2023, up from $466.9 billion in 2019.
- According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, GCC countries are expected to receive 195 million visitors by 2030.
Global Entertainment Sector
- In 2021, the global entertainment and media market



