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UAE hotel revenues jump 9.7% to Dh49.21 billion in 2025
The UAE tourism sector's achievements also included hotel nights reaching 100 million, according to official figures released by the Emirates Tourism Council
- PUBLISHED: Mon 25 May 2026, 4:21 PM UPDATED: Mon 25 May 2026, 4:27 PM
UAE hotel revenues jumped 9.7 per cent to Dh49.21 billion last year as tourism and staycations remained strong.
The UAE recorded sustained growth across the sector, with the number of hotel establishment guests rising to more than 32 million in 2025, up 5.1 per cent compared to 2024.
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These official figures were released in a report by the Emirates Tourism Council on the achievements of the UAE tourism sector for 2025.
Figures released on Monday showed that the total number of hotel rooms reached 217,000 across more than 1,240 hotel establishments. The hotel occupancy rate stood at 79.5 per cent last year, among the highest in the region and globally, reflecting strong demand and sustained performance.
The national tourism sector's achievements also included hotel nights reaching 100 million. The UAE ranked first across the Middle East and North Africa region and 18th globally in the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024.
In 2025, Dubai received 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, a 5 per cent increase from the previous year, marking the emirate’s third consecutive record‑breaking year for tourism, according to new data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) earlier this year.
The city also surpassed the milestone of 2 million visitors in a single month for the first time in December, signalling strong momentum heading into 2026.
Hospitlity and touism sectors have grown exponentially in the post-pandemic years.
According to the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (Gulf-Stat), tourism across the GCC has surged well beyond pre-pandemic levels, with the UAE emerging as the region’s primary growth engine.
International tourism revenues in the GCC climbed to $120.2 billion in 2024, marking a 39.6 per cent increase compared to 2019 and an 8.9 per cent rise from 2023, according to the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (Gulf-Stat).
