The United Arab Emirates has reinforced its position as a global tourism powerhouse, solidifying its reputation as a premier destination for international travel, events, and investment.
Ahead of World Tourism Day on 27th September, the UAE continues to demonstrate exceptional performance across the sector, achieving record-breaking results that have earned recognition from international bodies and visitors worldwide.
In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, said that the sector had achieved major milestones, including the launch of the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 and the election of Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, as the first Emirati to hold the position of Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation for the 2026-2029 term.
The Minister highlighted that the UAE ranks among the top seven global destinations for international tourist spending and leads in several travel and aviation competitive indices, notably the Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure index.
He also noted the approval by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, of the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport. Once completed, the AED128 billion facility will be the world’s largest, with a capacity of 260 million passengers.
Bin Touq stated that the tourism sector’s contribution to the UAE’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose to AED257.3 billion in 2024, representing 13 percent of the national economy. This marks a 3.2 percent increase from 2023 and a 26 percent increase from the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
The UAE welcomed international visitors primarily from India (14%), the United Kingdom (8%), Russia (8%), China (5%), and Saudi Arabia (5%), with 60 percent arriving from other regions.
Total international visitor spending reached AED217.3 billion in 2024, up 5.8 percent from 2023 and 30.4 percent from 2019, while domestic tourism spending rose to AED57.6 billion, a 2.4 percent increase over the previous year and a 41 percent jump since 2019.
Hotel revenues climbed to nearly AED45 billion, with occupancy rates at 78 percent and around 30.75 million guests hosted in 2024—a 9.5 percent increase from 28.08 million in 2023, achieving approximately 77 percent of the national target of 40 million annual guests.
From 2015 to 2024, UAE airports handled over one billion passengers, with more than 6.4 million aircraft movements and international visitor arrivals rising from 15 million in 2014 to over 29 million in 2024.
In the first eight months of 2025, airports recorded around 102.9 million passengers, a 5.3 percent increase over the same period in 2024.
Bin Touq also reported that tourism investments attracted by the UAE reached AED28.8 billion in 2023, rising to AED32.2 billion in 2024, with projections to hit AED35.2 billion in 2025.
The sector maintained strong momentum in H1 2025, with hotels hosting more than 16 million guests—a 5.5 percent increase compared to H1 2024. The UAE now has 1,243 hotels with over 216,000 rooms, including 16 new establishments that opened in 2024.
Hotel revenues for H1 2025 surpassed AED26 billion, a 6.3 percent rise from the previous year.
Bin Touq projected that 2025 would see around 33 million hotel guests, with revenues expected to grow 7 percent over 2024. UAE airports are anticipated to handle approximately 160 million passengers due to ongoing expansions and new route launches.
The “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign has been particularly successful, generating around AED6.7 billion in hotel revenues across five editions, marking a 90 percent increase from AED1 billion in its first edition to AED1.9 billion in the fifth.
He emphasised that the campaign has succeeded over the past years in reaching more than 1.2 billion people around the world, highlighting the UAE’s landmarks and diverse destinations in a distinctive manner and introducing viewers in the region and the world to the country’s tourism and natural treasures.
Looking ahead, the UAE will host the UAE Africa Tourism Investment Summit on 27th October 2025 in Dubai as part of the Future Hospitality Summit. The event will bring together tourism ministers and senior officials from 53 African countries, reinforcing the UAE’s role as a trusted partner in global tourism investment.
(Inputs from WAM)
