Page 272 - MOET PR REPORT- SEPTEMBER 2025

9/29/25, 5:06 PM UAE solidifies role as key player in global tourism
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 of hotel revenues in the

country, which amounted to approximately AED6.7 billion. The campaign also
recorded a significant 90 percent growth in hotel revenues, with revenues in the first

edition reaching AED1 billion and AED1.9 billion in the fifth edition.

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