Page 59 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2024 (International)

9/30/24, 9:52 AM UAE tourism sector witnesses steady growth with hotel establishment revenues increasing by 7 per cent to reach AED 24.6 billion i…
million during the first six months of 2024, reflecting a 10.5 per cent growth.

H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates

Tourism Council, said: "The latest results demonstrate the effectiveness of the country's

efforts and strategies in enhancing the tourism sector, in line with international best

practices. They also underline the competitive advantage of the UAE's tourism offerings
both at regional and global levels. These indicators are crucial in realising the objectives

of the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to boost the sector's contribution to the

national GDP to 450 billion dirhams and attract 40 million visitors to hotel establishments
by the next decade."

His Excellency added: "Thanks to the directives of the wise leadership, UAE tourism has

been able to maintain its growth in terms of both revenues and hotel capacity. The hotel
occupancy rate in the country reached 79.5 per cent in H1 2024, which is among the

highest globally, growing by 3.7 per cent compared to H1 2023." His Excellency noted

that national efforts continue to support joint action in the implementation of tourism-

related plans and strategies and solidify the UAE's position as one of the best
destinations in the world, in the light of the We the UAE 2031 vision.

H.E. Bin Touq explained: "In terms of travel and aviation, the country's airports recorded
an increase in passenger numbers during the first half of this year. This echoes the

international confidence and trust in the quality and efficiency of travel services in the

UAE, as well as the quality of air transport infrastructure. The UAE has invested in

aviation infrastructure development projects, increasing airports' capacity to
accommodate larger numbers of passengers, with a total capacity now estimated at

more than 160 million passengers. In addition, the UAE has entered cooperation

agreements with 188 countries around the world in the air transport sector. This

facilitates inbound and outbound flights to these destinations and consolidates the UAE's
position as a leading regional and global destination for travel and aviation."

Significant expansion in number of hotel rooms
The total number of hotel rooms in the UAE has increased significantly, reaching

213,741 by the end of the first half of this year, with 3 per cent growth compared to the

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