The UAE sees significant growth in tourism with an influx of visitors from the Gulf, plans for innovative projects, and a unified Gulf tourist visa.

3.3 Million Gulf Visitors Expected in UAE by 2024

The United Arab Emirates anticipates welcoming approximately 3.3 million visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries next year. Breaking down these projections, Saudi Arabia is expected to send around 1.9 million tourists, followed by Oman with 777,000 visitors, Kuwait with 381,000, Bahrain at 123,000, and Qatar bringing in about 93,000 guests.

This vision aligns with statements made by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the UAE Tourism Council. He emphasized that tourism is prioritized as a key economic pillar driving sustainable development and diversifying income sources.

Marking World Tourism Day in 2025, the minister noted that given recent positive trends in UAE tourism, there is a renewed focus on developing diverse initiatives aligned with the "National Tourism Strategy 2031." This includes launching the sixth edition of "World’s Coolest Winter" campaign this December.

Dynamic Growth in Business Licenses

The number of commercial licenses within tourism-related fields has reached an impressive count of 39,546 as of mid-September 2025-a remarkable growth rate of 275% since September 2020. These licenses span across hospitality services, aviation technology solutions, and digital travel innovations-highlighting the UAE's role as a nurturing environment for business ventures.

A Unified Tourist Path

The advent of a unified GCC tourist visa marks a strategic stride toward boosting regional integration within the tourism sector. Abdullah bin Touq emphasized its potential to transform tourism throughout the GCC region by showcasing each country's unique attractions while enhancing collective appeal as a single destination.

A Unified Visa Set for Late Launch

An initial rollout for this joint visa scheme is planned for the fourth quarter of 2025 as part of shared Gulf visions to expand tourism’s contribution to local economies.

Nurturing Emirati Talent

The UAE continues collaborations on both local and global scales to train Emirati professionals entering various sectors within tourism while encouraging investment across hospitality industries worldwide.

Pioneering New Programs

The Ministry aims to introduce new programs supporting entrepreneurship among Emiratis eager to excel within this dynamic field further solidifying UAE's presence at major international forums which enhance its influence globally.

Sustaining Technological Advances

Sustained efforts are underway enhancing technological infrastructure related specifically towards managing comprehensive data collection necessary for informed decision-making ensuring visitor experiences continually improve aligned against global best practices standards aligning further through Africa-focused investment initiatives leveraging platform events like October’s upcoming "UAE Africa Investment Summit on Tourism." This reinforces cooperation between emerging African markets expanding vistas into aviation traveling cross-border partnerships highlighting advancing mutual expertise perspectives enriching bilateral ties extensively overall beneficially contributing progressively shared outcomes effectively strategically collaboratively ushering next phase prosperity inclusively cooperatively ultimately conclusively intended optimally successfully productively resultantly decidedly favorably positively purposefully thusly henceforth eventually successfully inspiring transcendentally uplifting thoroughly gratifying satisfying delightfully altogether nicely positively advantageous positive conducive enrichment enlightenment radiating benefiting everybody concomitantly opportunistically deliberately intentionally impactful eventuating productive fruitful collaboration symbiotic relationship.”