The UAE continues to maintain its regional and international leadership as a distinguished travel destination and a preferred country for living and working.
Due to the directives of its leadership, the country witnessed progress in terms of outcomes and indicators, which confirmed its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country has strengthened its position on the world tourism map, becoming a leading international tourism destination.
UAE figures in the list of the top 10 country in several international competitiveness indexes related to the tourism, travel and hotels sectors in 2021.
Emirati hotels attracted nearly six million visitors who spent 25 million hotel nights in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 10 percent compared with the same period in 2019.
Their period of stay in hotels grew by 25 percent during the same period while the hotel occupancy rate was 80 percent, one of the highest internationally.
Hotels achieved earnings totaling US$2.9 billion (AED11 billion) in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
These hotels resumed activities at full capacity, totaling nearly 200,000 hotel rooms.
In terms of flights and hospitality, the number of passengers who arrived at the country’s airports exceeded 20 million in the first quarter of 2022, compared to 8.6 million in the same period of 2021, an increase of 135 percent.
These indicators underscore the growing confidence in the UAE’s tourism sector and its prominent local or international reputation.
It reflects the efficiency of its sustainable tourism policies and the success of its initiatives, campaigns and exhibitions aimed at supporting the sector.
The Ministry of Economy and its partners from federal and local authorities, in collaboration with the private sector and tourism organizations, drafted a comprehensive national strategy to attract tourists.
The aim was to enhance the country’s stature as a sustainable tourism destination with a focus on foreseeing the future, innovation and technology.
Internal tourism strategy
The internal tourism strategy complements the UAE’s national tourism development strategy, given its key role in attracting tourism-related investment, income and bolstering the sector’s growth.
The sector witnessed an increase in spending by local tourists in 2020 which stood at 33 percent, compared to 67 percent by international tourists.
In 2019, spending by local tourists was at 22 percent, compared with 78 percent by international tourists.
One of the key features of the internal tourism strategy launched in 2020 is the marketing of major natural, cultural, heritage and historical attractions in the country, as well as developing the country’s tourism services.
One of the features was highlighting the beauty of the tourism experience offered by each emirate and promoting recreational, cultural and community activities to improve the attractiveness of each emirate.
World’s Coolest Winter Campaign Tourism initiatives and programs are a key part of the country’s internal tourism strategy and achieved successes in the country.
The second edition of the campaign, which kicked off in mid-December 2021 and lasted till the end of January 2022, recorded proceeds totaling $408 million (AED1.5 billion) and attracted over 1.3 million visitors over 45 days.
The campaign highlighted the country’s environmental and sustainable tourism and allowed people from all emirates to visit natural reserves, oases, mountains, islands and beaches, while desert tourism featured interesting safaris.
As part of its efforts to diversify its sources of income and its strategic development plan, as well as to develop the tourism sector, the UAE launched a unified tourism identity that complements its visual media identity.
One of the aims is to consolidate its global image and stature and unity efforts and energies to celebrate its success.
Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai attracted record numbers of visitors and highlighted the leadership of the travel, tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors.
The event successfully attracted more than 24 million visitors in over six months.
Expo Dubai City will be opened in October 2022, which will make the country a new world-class destination and improve the national tourism environment, most notably in terms of business tourism.
The Museum of the Future
In February 2022, the UAE witnessed the launch of a unique tourism milestone, the Museum of the Future, which is a historical icon that features various theaters and high-tech labs.
The museum was launched under a theme that focuses on climate and education to symbolize the establishment of a prosperous future based on development and prosperity.
The theme also supports the local efforts to address climate change and achieve sustainability.