Published on September 28, 2025
The UAE has achieved a important milestone successful its tourism, hospitality, and aviation sectors, issuing astir forty 1000 licenses by September 2025. This singular growth, a 275% summation from 2020, underscores nan country’s strategical reforms successful business and finance regulations, which person strengthened its entreaty to world companies and investors. These reforms, alongside initiatives for illustration nan UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, are driving nan accelerated description of these industries, positioning nan UAE arsenic a world leader successful tourism and paving nan measurement for continued economical maturation and innovation.
The UAE’s tourism, hospitality, aviation, and integer tourism industries person knowledgeable singular growth, pinch nan number of commercialized licenses successful these sectors reaching 39,546 by mid-September 2025. This marks a important 275% summation from mid-September 2020. This surge is simply a nonstop consequence of nan country’s continuous reforms to its business and finance regulations, which person made nan UAE an progressively charismatic destination for world companies and investors.
The maturation of these sectors is integral to nan UAE’s economical strategy, pinch tourism playing a cardinal domiciled arsenic a cardinal driver of sustainable economical development. The country’s tourism policy, encapsulated successful nan UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, includes respective initiatives to solidify its position arsenic a world tourism hub. Notably, nan “World’s Coolest Winter” run is group to motorboat successful December 2025, further promoting nan UAE arsenic a desirable tourer destination.
A important attraction is besides being placed connected processing section talent wrong nan tourism sector. With nan support of some section and world partners, training programs are being implemented to guarantee that Emirati citizens are well-equipped to subordinate nan tourism workforce. These efforts purpose to guarantee that nan maturation of nan tourism assemblage is supported by a skilled and tin labour force, while besides fostering caller opportunities successful hospitality, travel, and aviation.
The UAE authorities is actively encouraging finance successful tourism-related industries, including aviation, hospitality, and recreation services. New programs are besides being launched to support start-ups successful nan sector, providing nan basal infrastructure and financial backing to thief them thrive. The authorities is committed to creating an situation conducive to maturation and invention successful these cardinal industries, facilitating some section and overseas investments.
Further expanding nan UAE’s world tourism influence, nan state will big nan “UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit” successful October 2025, arsenic portion of nan Future Hospitality Summit. The acme intends to fortify bilateral ties pinch African nations, enhancing practice crossed tourism, hospitality, and aviation sectors. By fostering these world partnerships, nan UAE seeks to diversify its tourism offerings and pull a broader scope of visitors.
Tourism wrong nan Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region besides continues to grow. In 2024, nan UAE welcomed 3.3 cardinal visitors from GCC countries, which accounted for 11% of full edifice guests. Saudi Arabia led nan charge, sending 1.9 cardinal visitors, representing 58% of nan GCC total, followed by Oman pinch 777,000 visitors (24%), Kuwait pinch 381,000 (12%), Bahrain pinch 123,000 (4%), and Qatar pinch 93,000 (3%).
Looking ahead, nan upcoming preamble of a unified GCC tourer visa is expected to heighten location integration and further boost nan UAE’s attractiveness arsenic a tourer destination. This visa, which is planned for a aviator motorboat successful nan 4th fourth of 2025, intends to create a much seamless and unified recreation acquisition for visitors wrong nan Gulf. Once afloat implemented, it is expected to importantly summation nan region’s corporate entreaty by making it easier for visitors to research aggregate GCC countries pinch a azygous visa.
Overall, nan continued description and improvement of nan UAE’s tourism and hospitality sectors awesome nan country’s ongoing committedness to becoming a world leader successful tourism. Through strategical investments, talent development, and location collaboration, nan UAE is group to stay a apical destination for travelers, businesses, and investors alike.