Page 411 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - APRIL 2025 (Part 2)

4/11/25, 3:21 PM UAE tourism sector booming with $12 billion in hotel revenue last year | The National
UAE tourism sector booming with $12 billion in

hotel revenue last year

Number of hotel guests in the Emirates hit 30.8 million last year

Deepthi Nair
April 07, 2025

Hotels in the UAE recorded a 3 per cent annual rise in revenue to Dh45 billion ($12.3 billion) last year, reflecting a robust
uplift in the country's tourism sector, according to the Minister of Economy.

The hotel occupancy rate hit 78 per cent during the period, ranking among the highest both regionally and globally. The
number of hotel guests in the Emirates reached 30.8 million last year, up 9.5 per cent from the same period in 2023, Abdulla
bin Touq, Minister of Economy, said on Monday.

This represents 77 per cent of the hotel guest target set by the National Tourism Strategy 2031, said Mr bin Touq, who is
also chairman of the UAE Tourism Council.

“With the current growth trajectory, we are well on track to achieving the strategy’s ambitious goal of attracting 40 million
hotel guests,” he said.

“This growth was supported by the opening of 16 new hotels across the seven emirates, taking the total number of hotels in
the country to 1,251 by the end of the year. In addition, the number of hotel rooms also grew, reaching 216,966 by the end of
2024, up 3 per cent.”

Tourism is considered one of the strategic pillars towards transitioning towards a new economic model.

The National Tourism Strategy 2031, launched in November 2022, aims to attract 40 million hotel guests by 2031 and Dh100
billion in tourism investment to the UAE.

The strategy should push the tourism sector's contribution to gross domestic product to Dh450 billion by 2031, increasing
each year by Dh27 billion, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said in 2022.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2025/04/07/uae-hotels-tourism/ 1/2