The Minister of Economy and Tourism, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, confirmed that the results achieved by the tourism and hospitality sector in the state during the period from January to October 2025 reflect the sector's resilience and the continued demand for tourist destinations across the country's emirates. Hospitality establishments received 26.1 million guests, a 5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Additionally, over 89 million hotel nights were recorded, marking a 6% growth. The average length of stay improved, and occupancy rates rose to 79.3%. Hotel revenues reached approximately 40 billion dirhams, confirming the sector's ability to sustain continued growth.
This was discussed during a meeting held by the UAE Tourism Council, chaired by bin Touq Al Marri and attended by the chairpersons and managing directors of local tourism authorities in the country. The council reviewed the sector's performance in the current year and discussed several strategic files related to developing tourism governance, enhancing the data system, and supporting the sector's sustainability, in addition to following up on the outcomes of the previous meeting.
Bin Touq Al Marri stated that the tourism sector in the UAE continues to record strong performance indicators in 2025, reflecting the effectiveness of national policies and the level of coordination between federal and local tourism entities. He noted that this positive performance enhances the country's position as a global tourist destination and confirms its ability to achieve sustainable growth based on diversifying tourism products, improving the experience of visitors from various countries, and leveraging the competitive advantages of the seven emirates. These advantages provide world-class destinations that meet the growing global demand, cementing the UAE's status as one of the world's leading tourist destinations.
He added: "In the next phase, we will focus on developing tourism governance, enhancing the national data system, supporting the shift towards more sustainable tourism practices, and utilizing accurate data, statistics, and future analysis to support planning and decision-making, as well as to strengthen the integration of marketing efforts at the national level."
During the meeting, the launch of the sixth season of the "Most Beautiful Winter in the World" campaign was also presented. This year's campaign is themed "Our Winter is Innovation" and aims to stimulate domestic tourism, enhance the diversity of the tourism product across the emirates, and foster entrepreneurship in the tourism sector by enabling small and medium-sized enterprises and startups to contribute to developing innovative tourist experiences.
Furthermore, the meeting reviewed tourism forecasts for 2026 based on analyses provided by "Euromonitor," which indicated continued growth in tourism at both regional and global levels, with an increasing focus on experience-based, sustainable tourism, and the integration of digital solutions.
