UAE tops 2025 travel rankings with ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ campaign
Digital initiatives and sustainability underpin tourism sector growth
DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates continues to witness remarkable growth in its tourism sector, driven by rising visitor numbers from across the globe and increasing investment in hospitality and leisure infrastructure.
The country’s comprehensive national strategy has reinforced its standing as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. This strategy is underpinned by strong returns on investment, a supportive business environment, and incentives aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation in tourism.
Key attractions include the UAE’s strategic location connecting East and West, rich biodiversity from deserts to beaches, political and economic stability, a culture of tolerance, year-round events, and robust infrastructure complemented by a wide range of accommodation options. These factors have helped the UAE secure a position among the top seven destinations worldwide for international tourism spending.
World’s Coolest Winter
Launched this year, the ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ campaign highlights the UAE’s entrepreneurial incentives under the theme ‘Our winter is entrepreneurial’. The initiative is designed to support investment and empower entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, promoting the UAE as a year-round destination with particular appeal during its mild winter season.
During the first half of 2025, hotels welcomed more than 16 million guests, with 1,243 establishments offering over 216,000 rooms. The market has expanded with 16 new hotels entering the UAE this year, reinforcing its reputation as a dynamic hub for global tourism.
Investment enablers
The UAE has bolstered tourism competitiveness through national initiatives such as the National Tourism Charter, summer camp programmes for hospitality professionals, support for domestic tourism, promotion of new destinations, and a stronger international presence in global tourism organisations. Education and tourism have also been integrated, with curricula embedding tourism concepts for the next generation of professionals.
Digital transformation is a key focus under the National Tourism Strategy 2031. Current initiatives include electronically linking hotel data with local tourism authorities, with plans to launch projects that diversify tourism products, accelerate innovation through advanced technologies, and embed sustainability across all tourism services by 2026.
Over the past decades, government and private investments have driven extensive development in aviation, hotels, leisure facilities, and cultural programmes. These efforts have enhanced premium tourism experiences while creating a secure environment for investors.
Attractive incentives
The UAE offers a wide range of incentives for tourism entrepreneurs, including:
- 100 percent foreign ownership of businesses
- Tax exemptions and no income tax
- No minimum capital requirements
- Full profit repatriation
- Freedom to conduct all economic activities without a local agent
- Long-term residency permits of 5 to 10 years
The country also provides support for innovation and technology, modern regulatory frameworks aligned with global standards, and flexible labour policies allowing access to a diverse talent pool. Legislative reforms introduced since 2021 have further enabled seamless market entry across all economic sectors, ensuring the UAE remains competitive in a rapidly transforming global economy.
Record achievements
Tourism investments in the UAE have grown steadily, from Dh28.8 billion in 2023 to Dh32.2 billion in 2024, with expectations of Dh35.2 billion by 2025. Airports handled around 102.9 million passengers in the first eight months of 2025, a 5.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
International visitor spending reached Dh217.3 billion in 2024, up 5.8 percent year-on-year and 30.4 percent compared to 2019. Domestic tourism spending totalled Dh57.6 billion, a 2.4 percent increase from 2023 and 41 percent higher than in 2019.
In global rankings, the UAE secured first place regionally and 18th worldwide in the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Report. It ranked first globally in air transport infrastructure and travel and tourism data provision, second in infrastructure and services, and third in air transport service efficiency and tourism-enabling policies.