DUBAI: The Middle East travel and tourism sector will create 3.6 million jobs in the next 10 years, the World Travel and Tourism Council forecast in its latest economic impact report, The National reported. “After a very difficult couple of years, the future is looking brighter with travel and tourism expected to create 3.6 million new jobs across the Middle East over the next decade,” said Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO. In the report, WTTC also added that the travel and tourism sector will see an economic recovery in the region, with its average annual growth outpacing the overall economy for the next 10 years. The report further stated that the travel and tourism sector’s gross domestic product will grow 7.7 percent on an annual basis between 2022 and 2032, to reach $540 billion — 10.1 percent of the region’s total economy in the next 10 years. Simpson added: “Looking to this year and the next, the outlook is more positive with both GDP and employment set to almost reach pre-pandemic levels…the recovery of the sector in the Middle East last year was certainly slower than expected, due in part to the impact of the omicron variant.”