The UAE’s tourism sector has posted robust growth in 2025, with hotel occupancy rates reaching 79.3 percent in the first ten months of the year, placing the country among the top performers regionally and globally, according to Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri.
Al Marri said occupancy levels rose from 78 percent during the same period last year. He added that hotel revenues totalled AED89 billion, supported by 1,243 hotel establishments offering more than 216,000 rooms across the country.
The minister highlighted tourism’s growing role in the national economy, noting that the sector contributed 13 percent to the UAE’s GDP last year, equivalent to AED257.3 billion. Tourism currently supports more than 920,000 jobs, with plans in place to raise its GDP contribution to 17 percent within the next five years through increased investment and continued expansion in aviation.
Al Marri also pointed to the World’s Coolest Winter campaign as a key driver of domestic tourism and entrepreneurship. Held under the slogan Our Winter is Entrepreneurial, the initiative aims to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global destination for both leisure and business.
Tourism investments reached AED32.2 billion in 2024, up from AED28.8 billion in 2023, and are projected to rise further to AED35.2 billion in 2025, reflecting sustained confidence in the sector’s long-term growth and resilience.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
