The United Arab Emirates has achieved exceptional leaps in the tourism sector, both in attracting tourists and the continuous rise in visitor numbers from around the world, and in attracting investment in this sector due to the lucrative returns it provides through distinguished investment facilities.
The UAE has offered major incentives to increase investment attraction, stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation in this rapidly growing sector, which is based on strong tourist attractions. Key among these are the natural, social, and legal assets that make the UAE an ideal destination to spend the best times of the year, especially during the country's mild and distinctive winter season. These assets are reflected in the country's strategic location linking the East and West, its vast biodiversity that blends deserts, oases, mountains, wadis, plains, and beaches, in addition to economic and political stability, and a societal culture based on the values of religious tolerance and acceptance of others, supported by a strong infrastructure and a wide range of accommodation options, along with diverse events held throughout the year.
As a result, the UAE has achieved leading positions in the tourism sector, ranking among the top seven global destinations in international tourist spending. It also topped global rankings in several competitive indicators related to the aviation and travel sector, led by the air transport infrastructure quality index.
During the first half of the current year, the country's tourism and travel sector achieved strong growth rates, as hotel establishments received over 16 million guests, with 1,243 hotel establishments comprising more than 216,000 rooms by the end of the first half of the year. Additionally, 16 new hotels entered the UAE markets in 2024.
The "Most Beautiful Winter in the World" campaign, launched this year under the slogan "Our Winter is Entrepreneurship," sheds light on the incentive programs and facilities that support investment in the sector and elevate the work of pioneers in this field.
Through national initiatives and projects, the UAE has enhanced its tourism assets and increased investment returns in this sector. The most prominent of these initiatives were the National Tourism Charter, the Hospitality Sector Summer Camp initiative, supporting domestic tourism and promoting new destinations, enhancing international presence in global tourism organizations, and integrating tourism into educational curricula.
The Ministry of Economy and Tourism is currently implementing a number of digital initiatives and projects as part of the National Tourism Strategy 2031, including the electronic linkage project for hotel establishment data with local tourism authorities. It also aims, by 2026, to develop new projects focused on diversifying and developing the country's tourism products, enhancing the digital transformation of the tourism sector by adopting innovative solutions and modern technologies, and embedding sustainability in all tourism activities and services.
The tourism sector in the UAE is witnessing broad growth, driven by the significant expansion of tourism and hotel infrastructure projects, which boosts investor confidence and opens new horizons for growth.
The UAE provides extensive facilities for entrepreneurs to develop their tourism investments, such as tax exemptions, allowing foreign investors to fully own their businesses and projects (100%), flexibility in choosing the appropriate free zone to establish their companies from among more than 40 free zones spread across the country, the opportunity to practice all economic activities without the requirement of having a national agent, without a minimum capital requirement, and without income tax, with the ability to transfer full profits. In addition, long-term residence permits are provided for periods ranging from five to ten years, along with the ease of contracting with skilled labor.
To attract sector pioneers and ensure the entry of investors without any complications or challenges, legislative amendments—the largest in the country's history—were launched starting in 2021. These involved updating and developing legislation and laws to enable various economic sectors to keep pace with future transformations. The UAE government also launched the National Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to elevate the country's status as the best tourism identity in the world.
The strategy will work through cooperation and coordination with a group of partners from the public and private sectors to implement its targets in the coming years. These targets include increasing the tourism sector's contribution to the national GDP to 450 billion dirhams, at an annual increase rate of 27 billion dirhams, attracting new investments worth 100 billion dirhams to the tourism sector in the country, and accommodating 40 million guests in hotel establishments.
The extensive investment facilities in the tourism sector have been translated into exceptional figures on the ground, with the UAE achieving leading positions regionally and globally. The volume of tourism investments attracted by the country reached 28.8 billion dirhams in 2023, increasing to 32.2 billion dirhams in 2024, and is expected to reach 35.2 billion dirhams in 2025.
The country's airports received approximately 102.9 million travelers during the first eight months of 2025, a growth of 5.3% compared to the same period in 2024 (97.9 million travelers). The total expenditure of international visitors reached 217.3 billion dirhams in 2024, a growth of 5.8% compared to 2023 and 30.4% compared to 2019. The total domestic tourism expenditure last year amounted to 57.6 billion dirhams, an increase of 2.4% compared to 2023 and 41% compared to 2019.
In the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index report issued by the World Economic Forum, the UAE ranked first regionally and 18th globally. It also ranked first globally in the Travel and Tourism Data Availability Index and the Air Transport Infrastructure pillar, second globally in the Infrastructure and Services pillar, and third globally in the Travel and Tourism Data Pillar, Air Travel Services Efficiency pillar, and the Enabling Environment and Travel and Tourism Policy pillar.
