Page 245 - MOET PR REPORT- SEPTEMBER 2025

9/29/25, 5:05 PM UAE Solidifies Role As Key Player In Global Tourism – UAE Today Blog
Total passenger traffic through the UAE’s airports exceeded one billion
between 2015 and 2024. The total number of aircraft movements
(arrivals and departures) increased to over 6.4 million, while the number
of international visitors rose from about 15 million in 2014 to over 29
million in 2024.

UAE airports handled approximately 102.9 million passengers in the first
eight months of 2025, a 5.3 percent growth compared to 97.9 million
passengers during the same period in 2024.

Bin Touq also reported that tourism investments attracted by the UAE
reached AED28.8 billion in 2023, rising to AED32.2 billion in 2024, with
projections to hit AED35.2 billion in 2025.

The Minister confirmed that the UAE’s travel and tourism sector
achieved robust growth in H1 2025. Hotel establishments hosted more
than 16 million guests, a 5.5 percent growth compared to the same
period in 2024. As of the end of H1 2025, the country has 1,243 hotel
establishments with over 216,000 rooms. Sixteen new hotels entered
the UAE market in 2024.

Hotel revenues increased to over AED26 billion in H1 2025, a 6.3
percent growth compared to the same period last year.

Bin Touq projected that the number of hotel guests in the country would
reach 33 million in 2025. Hotel revenues are expected to increase by 7
percent this year compared to AED45 billion in 2024, with UAE airports
anticipated to handle approximately 160 million passengers due to
airport expansions and the launch of new routes.

The minister further pointed out that the “World’s Coolest Winter”
campaign, over its five editions, has yielded outstanding results in terms

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