Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE is set to remain one of the Middle East's key tourism growth engines over the next decade, despite a temporary regional downturn caused by geopolitical disruption, according to new forecasts from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Described by the WTTC as one of the region's "most mature" tourism economies, the UAE led the Middle East in international visitor spending in 2025, with tourists spending $56.9 billion in the country, ahead of Saudi Arabia at $54.9 billion and Qatar at $29.8 billion. WTTC forecasts UAE visitor spending to rise to $72.8 billion by 2036.
The UAE is also one of the four countries expected to drive the region's long-term expansion, alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. Together, the four economies generated $272 billion in Travel & Tourism GDP in 2025, with the figure projected to rise to $435 billion by 2036.
The Middle East region's Travel & Tourism GDP is expected to contract by 14.5% this year to $330 billion, down from $386 billion in 2025. WTTC said that the decline was linked to conflict affecting airspace and travel flows across a region that serves as a major global aviation hub, handling about 14% of international passengers worldwide.
But the outlook is markedly stronger over the longer term, with the Middle East forecast to become the world's fastest-growing Travel & Tourism region between 2026 and 2036, expanding at an annual rate of 6.3% to reach $605 billion.
WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said that the region's tourism sector had demonstrated resilience through previous crises, with long-term government commitments to infrastructure, connectivity, investment and economic diversification providing a strong foundation for recovery.
"While the short-term outlook reflects current realities, the long-term picture is clear: the Middle East is set to be the world's fastest-growing Travel & Tourism region. Recovery will require continued leadership, coordination, and public-private collaboration, but the region has consistently shown its ability to adapt, recover, and emerge stronger," she said.
For the UAE's hospitality sector, there are already signs that demand is improving. Julia Santana, General Manager of Barceló Al Jaddaf Hotel Group, told Aletihad that the group remained "cautiously optimistic" that demand would continue to strengthen and approach pre-conflict levels, supported by the country's tourism fundamentals and global appeal.
"We are already seeing a healthy increase in forward bookings for Q4 and early winter," Santana said, adding that the return of major events, exhibitions and corporate travel is expected to support occupancy during the winter period.
She also pointed to continued demand from GCC and domestic UAE markets, which she said provided "a solid base of demand".
"While we remain mindful of external geopolitical and economic factors, the overall outlook is positive, and we are confident of achieving a well-balanced mix of international and regional demand," Santana said.
According to the WTTC report, the UAE's Travel & Tourism sector already contributes 11.9% of GDP and supports 13.6% of total employment.
Coupled with its "world-class connectivity" and international visitor spending of almost $57 billion, the figures point to the sector's growing weight in the national economy and position the UAE as a major contributor to the Middle East's wider travel sector.
