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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of those regions where records are often talked about. In tourism, the watchword is invest, invest, invest and the projects that are in the pipeline in all the countries that make up the Emirate are proof of this.

In the case of Dubai, after reaching 17.15 million foreign visitors in 2023 and the latest data revealing 5.18 million international visitors during the 1st quarter of 2024, corresponding to growth of 11% in relation to 4.67 million in the same period of 2023, the Emirate grew 22% in 2023 compared to 2019, with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicting that, in 2024, the region will grow 15% compared to the previous year.

Revenues achieved in 2023 in the UAE reached 55 billion euros, representing 11.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with more than 41 thousand new jobs being created, making the total number of people employed in the UAE in the sector of tourism reached 809 thousand, which is equivalent to saying that one in nine people works in tourism.

For 2024, WTTC forecasts point to the UAE continuing this growth path, anticipating revenues to reach close to 60 billion euros, with more than 23,500 new jobs created, thus totaling 833 thousand people working in the sector .

Revenue from international visitors is expected to grow by 10% in 2024, reaching 48.5 billion euros, while revenue from domestic tourism is expected to increase by 4.3% compared to 2023.

For the next decade, until 2034, the WTTC predicts a €70 billion tourism contribution to the UAE’s global economy and close to 930,000 people working in the industry.

The entire Middle East region will have generated, in 2023, revenues of around 430 billion euros, corresponding to a growth of 25% compared to 2022, with jobs reaching 7.75 million.

Revenue generated by international tourism reached 166 billion euros, representing a 50% growth compared to the previous year.

For the year 2024, WTTC forecasts point to revenues of 470 billion euros in the Middle East region, with the number of jobs reaching 8.3 million.

Revenue from international visitors is expected to exceed 183 billion euros, with domestic tourism generating close to 208 billion euros in revenue.

Towards the future
According to data advanced in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, the United Arab Emirates has close to 19,000 rooms under construction, while this number rises to 42,282 in Saudi Arabia.

Constituting the first region in the world to fully recover pre-pandemic numbers, the value of projects currently under development across the region amounts to an impressive 1.7 billion euros. Some of the emblematic projects being developed include the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, which will open in 2025; the Guggenheim Museum, also in Abu Dhabi; Dubai Islands, in Dubai, which will add another 40 kilometers of coastline to the Emirate, with more than 21 km dedicated to real estate projects and where Dubai’s second largest shopping center will be located, with an investment of 1.5 billion euros and more 80 resorts and hotels; Palm Jebel Ali, a project relaunched in 2023 and which will be twice the size of the current Palm Jumeirah and will have space for another 80 resorts and hotels, in addition to expanding the Emirate’s coastline by another 110 km, Dubai Reefs, a sustainable floating community for marine research, regeneration and ecotourism, covering 200 square kilometers; Qiddiya City, a mega-project in Saudi Arabia that will be a global hub for entertainment, sports and culture with more than 500 thousand square meters, generating more than 48 million annual visits, with more than 41,000 rooms, or returning to Dubai , the new airport (DWC), to be opened by 2033 and which will have five runways and a capacity for 260 million passengers.

In a joint interview with other European media [a ler na próxima edição do Publituris] During the ATM, Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), admitted that “we don’t just think about tourism. When we develop the city, we think about the economy as a whole and the wealth that all these projects bring to the city, to the region and, above all, to the people who live or want to live here”.

“On the one hand, it is a blessing that we do not depend on or have oil, as this makes us think and create projects that aim to create wealth. On the other hand, this makes us be creative and innovative when we launch projects that are not designed for today, but for the future”, concludes Issam Kazim.

*The Publituris newspaper is at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 at the invitation of Dubai Tourism – Visit Dubai