UAE showcases its pioneering experience in tourism development at G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in South Africa

Country’s efforts in improving air connectivity and facilitating international mobility as crucial drivers for global tourism and sector resilience highlighted

The UAE participated in the second meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group held in Durban, South Africa, from May 11 to 13, 2025. The country’s delegation was led by H.E. Badria Youssef Al Maidoor, Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector of the Ministry of Economy.

The UAE’s participation came in response to a formal invitation extended by South Africa, the G20 Presidency for 2025. This marks the sixth time that the UAE has participated as a guest in the group’s meetings. The latest meeting was held under the theme "Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability," addressing interconnected global challenges related to the economy, climate, and sustainable development.

During the meeting, the UAE delegation praised South Africa’s efforts in advancing tourism growth and enhancing the G20’s agenda for tourism cooperation. The delegation expressed sincere appreciation to South Africa for hosting the event, emphasizing that this year’s agenda closely aligns with the UAE’s vision and strategy for tourism development, particularly the focus on fostering innovation and human-centered artificial intelligence to support the growth of small and medium sized tourism enterprises, as well as advancing tools for sustainable tourism financing and investment.

The delegation highlighted the UAE’s efforts to improve air connectivity and facilitate international mobility, recognizing these as crucial drivers for advancing global tourism. Additionally, it emphasized the importance of enhancing the resilience of the sector and its ability to withstand crises, while ensuring inclusivity and sustainability in tourism development.

The country’s delegation also reviewed the UAE’s key tourism performance indicators, highlighting the sector’s impressive achievements in 2024, which further strengthened its contribution to the growth and sustainability of the national economy. Revenues from hotel establishments in the country surged to nearly AED 45 billion, reflecting a 3 per cent growth compared to 2023. Additionally, the hotel occupancy rate rose to 78 per cent last year, ranking among the highest both regionally and globally. This was further underscored by the opening of 16 new hotels across the seven emirates in 2024, taking the total number of hotels in the UAE to 1,251 by the end of the year. The number of hotel rooms also saw a significant increase, reaching 216,966 by the end of 2024, up three per cent.

Hotel establishments across the UAE welcomed nearly 30.8 million guests in 2024, marking a 9.5 per cent growth compared to 2023. This means UAE tourism has already achieved 77 per cent of its target for hotel guests, set within the ‘National Tourism Strategy 2031’ framework seven years ahead of schedule, demonstrating the accelerating growth in the sector.

These achievements highlight the success of the UAE’s strategic tourism vision, which aims to raise the sector’s contribution to AED 450 billion in GDP and attract AED 100 billion in new investments, in addition to increasing annual hotel guests to 40 million by 2031.

During its intervention, the UAE reiterated its commitment to fostering innovation in the tourism sector by supporting digital entrepreneurship, especially among youth, and expanding the application of digital transformation technologies and smart solutions in visitor services and tourism information centers.

With regard to air connectivity, the UAE confirmed its continued investments in airport infrastructure and the expansion of digital facilitation in visa and immigration processes, aimed at enhancing travel experience and increasing international tourism flows.

The UAE delegation concluded by stating that their G20 participation demonstrates the nation's dedication to international tourism policies and collaboration with member states and global partners in building a comprehensive, sustainable tourism ecosystem benefiting both global economy and local communities.