Wide angle photo of Museum of the future on Sheikh Zayed Road. Dubai at night.The UAE is cementing its global tourism leadership through visionary planning, strategic connectivity, and cultural innovation. The historic leadership role at UN Tourism from Shaikha Al Nowais underscores its influence, while data-driven insights show strong growth in arrivals and satisfaction. Diversifying hotel options, capitalising on climate and safety, and promoting multi-emirate itineraries will be key to sustaining momentum into 2025 and beyond.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is asserting its influence as a global tourism leader, marked by the historic election of Shaikha Al Nowais as the first female Secretary-General of UN Tourism. As the region garners international attention, data from Mabrian, the global travel intelligence company part of The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group, sheds light on how the UAE is redefining the global tourism playbook through smart strategies, infrastructure investments, and a deep understanding of evolving traveller preferences.
According to the WTTC, travel and tourism contributed 13% to the UAE’s GDP in 2024, with a projected growth of 4% by the end of 2025. Thanks to a sustained, long-term strategy laid in the 1990s and early 2000s, the UAE has positioned itself as a world-class destination, experiencing consistent growth in international tourist arrivals, significant investments, and diversification efforts; and it continues to pursue strategies for sustainable expansion.
Insights into Action: The UAE’s Multi-Segment Tourism Strategy
“The UAE’s spectacular tourism development results from a clear roadmap combining a smart connectivity strategy—enhanced by low-cost carriers to serve specific segments and seasonal demand—with thoughtful product design, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and strategic use of unique advantages that are hard to replicate,” says Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian. “Data suggests the next phase involves laser-focusing on opportunities arising from the UAE’s vision and its alignment with current market and consumer trends.”
1) Consolidating Western Europe and Boosting Asia: Strong air connectivity has been central to the GCC’s rise in global tourism, with the UAE leading the charge. Mabrian data shows international seat capacity has grown steadily since 2019, reaching a 14.5% increase in 2025. Western Europe remained the top source region in 2024, while Northeast and Southeast Asia recorded the highest year-over-year growth at 24%, as featured in Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025.
“To attract more visitors from mature markets, diversification of demand segments is essential. This includes opening new routes—particularly low-cost options—and expanding lodging beyond luxury offerings,” explains Cendra. According to the Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025, the UAE is moving in this direction: Emirates will hold the largest East Asia network among non-Asian airlines, Etihad Airways will add 14 destinations, and Wizz Air will increase its direct flights.
2) Expanding Midscale Hotel Options to Broaden Market Reach: The UAE’s key hotel categories (3 to 5-star) are evenly distributed and, as previously mentioned, future development primarily leans toward upscale and luxury brands. According to the Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025, some of the most anticipated openings include new properties from Corinthia Hotels, Jumeirah, Six Senses, NH Collection, Le Méridien, Mandarin Oriental, Mondrian, LUX*, Rixos, W and JW Marriott. However, expanding midscale offerings can further enrich the country's lodging landscape. The scheduled openings of midscale lifestyle brands like Moxy Hotel and Mama Shelter—which resonate strongly with younger travellers—suggest that the UAE is actively working to broaden its appeal in this growing segment.
The midscale segment can support pricing strategies across categories, and contribute to enhance competitiveness of lodging offerings in the destination, already well-regarded as the high Hotel Satisfaction Index of Emirati hotels (73.7/100). In terms of profitability, more midscale hotels imply more price elasticity, particularly in higher categories: Mabrian forecasts suggest average hotel prices will converge across emirates in the coming months, especially as 5-star hotels slightly adjust rates to stay competitive in markets like Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah.
3) Concept Travel Itineraries: Showcasing Each Emirate’s Identity: A key driver of the UAE’s tourism success is leveraging the unique identity of each emirate to curate experiences tailored to travellers’ diverse interests, with culture, art, and heritage as central themes. Mabrian data shows culture as the top demand driver in Dubai (25.5%), Abu Dhabi (29,5%), Sharjah (33.8%), and Ras Al Khaimah (23.8%). Complementary experiences shape each emirate’s appeal: active tourism (15.2%), gastronomy (13%), and shopping (11.3%) in Dubai; active tourism (12.8%) and sunbathing (11.2%) in Abu Dhabi; and nature & outdoors (16.4%) in Ras Al Khaimah.
“Aligned with how travellers seek inspiration—beyond simply visiting attractions or hotspots—the UAE has the opportunity to inspire around concept-based itineraries that resonate with a wide range of traveller segments, offering experiences that are more captivating and appealing than a mere than a checklist of attractions,” adds Cendra.
4) Building an Umbrella Brand for the UAE’s Tourism Offering: “An umbrella brand for marketing the UAE’s diverse experiences can help boost arrivals, extend the average stay beyond 4.45 days, and enhance satisfaction and loyalty,” says Mabrian expert.
To achieve this, satisfaction with tourist products is essential—particularly given the UAE’s positioning as a premium destination. This requires prioritising not only the launch of new, unique attractions, accommodations, and infrastructure, but also the delivery of world-class on-site service. According to the Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025, the UAE’s Tourist Product Satisfaction Index (TPI) stands at 68.8 out of 100—a positive score with a growing trend. However, there is still room for improvement to reach an outstanding performance level, represented by a TPI of 75, as seen in destinations like Singapore, Seychelles, or Thailand.
5) Capitalising on Climate and Safety as Strategic Advantages: As Connecting Travel Insights Report 2025 highlights, citing Mabrian data, the UAE holds a significant competitive advantage due to its perceived high levels of safety and its exceptional, appealing climate. As a Mabrian expert notes, “these two factors form a strong foundation for building a successful tourism strategy, and the UAE has many opportunities to capitalise on this advantage when competing with other highly developed global destinations.”
The exceptionally high Climate Perception Index (85.3/100) reflects the UAE’s reputation as a destination with favourable weather for much of the year. Meanwhile, the outstanding Perception of Security Index (94.8/100) is a key driver, indicating that travellers feel safe and confident—encouraging visitation and strengthening the UAE’s appeal across key segments, from families and business travellers to wellness seekers.
