UAE: Tourism sector booms as 18 million people visit Abu Dhabi in 2022

The world-class cultural and tourism destination of Abu Dhabi received a total of 18 million visitors last year, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT – Abu Dhabi) announced while releasing its annual report.

At 3 million people (including 246,000 students) visitors to cultural sites exceeded targets and recorded a 99 per cent satisfaction rate, the report noted.

“In 2022 we harnessed the power of culture, which showed us the pathway to resilience, recovery and revival. It was also a year where we embraced the transformative power of collaboration, bringing a new-found sense of energy, partnership and innovation,” Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, DCT – Abu Dhabi, said.

“Over the past year, we have restated our purpose as a guiding message: that we exist to enrich people’s lives by sharing Abu Dhabi with the world. In our every action, we have strived to deliver on our promise to promote, protect and progress Abu Dhabi as a cultural and tourism destination, creating unforgettable experiences for our visitors and building a brighter future of limitless opportunities for our youth.”

The emirate recorded more than 70 per cent in hotel capacity with overnight visitors reaching 4.1 million – a 24 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau delivered more than 1,200 meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) events, serving a total of 603,000 visitors. Also, 78 per cent of destination awareness has been achieved across 12 strategic markets.

“Together, we continue to progress Abu Dhabi innovatively, introducing new sustainable tourism guidelines for the sector and a robust strategy guiding all our activities and initiatives - now and for the years to come.”

Record 80 galleries from 28 countries featured at Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2022, and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre registered 260,000 visitors across Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, Al Ain Book Festival, and Al Dhafra Book Festival.

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