UAE prepares for promising tourism season as ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ approaches

Report shows UAE’s tourism figures are close to pre-pandemic and notes the country would benefit from the World Cup momentum

By Wam

Published: Fri 11 Nov 2022, 9:22 PM

The UAE was ranked 11th globally on the list of the highest-performing tourism sectors worldwide, which is issued by ForwardKeys, a Spanish company that specialises in analysing travel and aviation databases in cooperation with the World Travel Market.

The UAE’s tourism sector has performed incredibly, according to international reports that highlighted a rise in the number of tourists arriving through the country’s airports, signalling a promising tourism season for the sector, as the launch of the “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign approaches.

The report showed that the UAE’s tourism figures are close to pre-pandemic and noted that the country would benefit from the momentum seen across the Gulf region as the 2022 World Cup approaches.

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Dubai’s stature

A report by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) expects Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to welcome a huge number of visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the UAE expected to stand to gain the most, due to its geographical location and distinctive tourism allure.

The report also highlighted the significant capacity of Dubai’s hotel establishments to attract tourists attending the World Cup, supported by daily flights between Dubai and Doha.

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Flight traffic

With regard to the positive results seen in the Emirati tourism sector, Emirates airline announced record net earnings of Dh4.2 billion (US$1.2 billion) in the first half of 2022. It also increased the number of its employees by 10 per cent.

Projections from Abu Dhabi’s five airports revealed that they are expected to welcome over 15 million passengers by the end of 2022, amidst the ongoing recovery of the travel sector, with the sector recording the arrival of 11 million passengers since the start of the year.

International partnerships

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the signing of a strategic partnership with WebBeds, one of the world’s leading providers of accommodation and ground product distribution services to the travel industry.

The agreement aims to strengthen the cooperation between the two sides in various areas, including driving awareness of Abu Dhabi and its tourist attractions among WebBeds’ network of travel agents and partner.

Travel market

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority participated in the World Travel Market 2022 held recently in London, and held a series of meetings and events with 18 authorities from the public and private sectors, as well as a press conference, to promote Sharjah's tourist attractions.