The initiatives spearheaded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, have played a crucial role in developing and enhancing the tourism and aviation sectors in the UAE, establishing them as key pillars for sustainable growth and attracting global investments.
These initiatives serve as a practical example of how strategic vision can be transformed into tangible results, turning tourism and aviation into major drivers of economic development. They not only achieved significant growth rates but also laid the foundation for a sustainable economy based on innovation, openness, and global competitiveness.
A spotlight initiative is the National Tourism Strategy 2031, launched by His Highness, which outlines a clear roadmap for boosting tourism’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through investment attraction, infrastructure development, and unifying the country’s tourism identity. The strategy emphasizes enhancing the quality and diversity of the tourist experience, including cultural, entertainment, business, and conference tourism, as well as increasing visitor numbers.
Support for global events and exhibitions has further solidified this approach, transforming the UAE into an international platform hosting major economic, cultural, and entertainment events, thereby invigorating tourism all year round and creating a direct link with the hospitality and aviation sectors.
Additionally, initiatives focused on developing integrated tourist areas merged entertainment, culture, shopping, and modern hotel facilities into a model that reflects His Highness’s vision of making tourism an integral part of life and a perpetual economic engine.
In aviation, His Highness led strategic initiatives that strengthened the UAE’s position as a key player in the global air transport industry. This was achieved by continually supporting the expansion of national airports, particularly Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, in alignment with a vision aimed at increasing capacity, improving passenger experiences, and establishing the country as a global aviation hub.
Support for national carriers, especially Emirates Airlines, has been a fundamental pillar of this vision, fostering the growth of world-class airlines that compete with leading international carriers and connecting global markets to the UAE economy. This support has also been accompanied by encouragement for innovation in services, digital transformation, and adherence to the highest global safety and quality standards.
His Highness has also prioritized empowering national talent in the aviation sector through training programs and support for localizing specialized jobs, ensuring the sustainability of the sector and the transfer of knowledge and expertise to future generations.
The vision of His Highness integrates the tourism and aviation sectors into a cohesive framework. Initiatives aimed at facilitating travel and implementing smart procedures at airports and border crossings have improved the flow of visitors and enhanced their experiences from the moment of arrival, reinforcing the UAE’s image as a modern and advanced destination.
Moreover, His Highness has endorsed digital transformation and sustainability initiatives in both sectors, recognizing the importance of innovation in maintaining global competitiveness, minimizing environmental impact, and improving operational efficiency.
In this light, a report from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed that the travel and tourism sector in the UAE achieved outstanding performance in 2024, with a contribution of 257.3 billion dirhams (70.1 billion dollars) to GDP, representing 13% of the national economy, marking a growth of 3.2% compared to 2023.
The report emphasized that the UAE has placed significant focus on the tourism sector as a key element for diversifying the national economy, successfully offering a comprehensive and unique tourism experience through proactive initiatives and strategies that enhanced the country’s attractiveness for various tourism investments and promoted its distinctive landmarks.
The indicators suggest that Emirati tourism is confidently progressing toward achieving the targets of the National Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to raise the sector’s contribution to GDP to 450 billion dirhams and increase hotel guest numbers to 40 million annually by the next decade, aligning with the “We Are the UAE 2031” vision.
Regarding international tourism, the WTTC report highlighted that the UAE continues to reinforce its position as one of the premier tourist destinations globally, with international visitor spending reaching approximately 217.3 billion dirhams (59.2 billion dollars) in 2024, up 5.8% from 2023 and 30.4% compared to 2019.
Domestic tourism spending recorded 57.6 billion dirhams (15.7 billion dollars), reflecting a growth of 2.4% from 2023 and an increase of 41% compared to pre-pandemic levels. The report anticipates that spending by international tourists will rise to 228.5 billion dirhams this year, while local tourist spending is expected to reach 60 billion dirhams.
The report indicated that leisure tourism accounted for 84.7% of total tourism spending, with business tourism comprising 15.3%, highlighting the sector’s resilience and ability to balance recreational and commercial activities. Additionally, international visitors contributed to 79% of total tourism expenditure, in contrast to 21% from local guests.
In terms of sustainability, the report noted that carbon emissions related to tourism did not exceed 13.3% of total national emissions in 2023, affirming the country’s commitment to environmental standards and promoting sustainable tourism.
On the societal impact front, women comprised 16.3% of the workforce directly involved in the travel and tourism sector, while youth aged 15-24 represented 9.7% of total sector employment. Furthermore, the sector contributed approximately 8.6 billion dollars in tax revenues in 2023, accounting for 5.4% of total government revenues and reflecting the growing importance of the sector in supporting the nation’s public finances.