Page 170 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - JUNE 2025

7/1/25, 3:21 PM Mohammed bin Rashid: UAE among top 7 global destinations for international tourist spending – The Gulf Time Newspaper
AED60 billion by the end of the year.

The report also highlighted that leisure tourism accounted for 84.7% of total tourism expenditure in the UAE

in 2024, while business tourism represented 15.3%. This demonstrates the sector’s adaptability and its

ability to balance both recreational and commercial tourism demands.

Moreover, the breakdown of spending showed that 79% of total tourism expenditure came from international

visitors, while 21% was attributed to domestic tourists.

The report further emphasised that despite the UAE’s rapid tourism sector growth, the country has remained
firmly committed to environmental standards and sustainability goals. In 2023, carbon emissions linked to

tourism activities accounted for only 13.3% of the nation’s total emissions, reflecting the UAE’s strategic

focus on integrating sustainability across its tourism landscape.

This performance aligns with the UAE’s broader vision to promote sustainable practices across all sectors

— ensuring that tourism growth goes hand-in-hand with environmental responsibility and long-term

ecological balance.

On the social front, the report highlighted that women accounted for 16.3% of the direct workforce in the
UAE’s travel and tourism sector in 2023. Additionally, youth aged 15–24 years made up 9.7% of the total

employment in the sector, reflecting its growing role in empowering both women and younger generations

within the national labour market.

From a fiscal perspective, the tourism and travel sector generated US$8.6 billion in tax revenues in 2023,

representing 5.4% of total government revenues. This underscores the sector’s increasing financial

significance and its vital contribution to the country’s public treasury.

On the global level, the report stated that the travel and tourism sector contributed US$10.9 trillion to the

global GDP in 2024, representing 10% of the world economy. This reflects an 8.5% increase compared to

2023 and a 6% rise compared 2019.
Looking ahead, the sector’s contribution is projected to reach US$11.7 trillion in 2025, which would mark a

6.7% increase over 2024 and a 13% growth over 2019, underscoring the sustained recovery and expansion

of global tourism.

The report also highlighted the sector’s robust role in job creation, with 356.6 million jobs generated

worldwide in 2024, accounting for 10.6% of total global employment. This represents a 6.2% increase from

2023 and a 5.6% increase from 2019.

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