E-Paper
Sign In
UAE tourism preparing to 'take-off' in months ahead, says minister
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri says that hotel operators played a big role in keeping the sector healthy, as they managed to keep employment up and didn't raise booking prices
- PUBLISHED: Mon 14 Sept 2026, 1:37 PM UPDATED: Mon 14 Sept 2026, 5:14 PM
The UAE's tourism sector is preparing to take-off in the next few months, the country's economy and tourism minister said.
"We were in the middle of the storm, and we managed to manoeuvre ourselves perfectly. We're ready for the next month," Minister of Economy and Tourism, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, said.
Recommended For You
“I'm not going to speak about how great the data is because it wasn't. But what I'm going to tell you is the descending is over and let's prepare for ascending,” the minister said in a speech at Arabian Travel Market, a global travel and tourism event taking place from September 14 to 17 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
He added that tourism operators played a big role in keeping the sector healthy, as they managed to keep employment up and didn't raise the prices their offerings.
During the last couple of months, Al Marri said that the Gulf states collectively managed to accelerate their digital transformation. "What we've done collectively in the Gulf is what the world is writing business cases about," he added.
What kept the country going, he said, was its tourism foundations, which have been built over 50 years. “Whatever storms hits our shores, we're ready to take it on,” he said.
GCC chief Jasem Al Budaiwi said last week that the Gulf states welcomed 75 million tourists in 2025, a 4.3 per cent growth year-on-year, while tourism within the Gulf states reached 20 million.
Speaking at AIM Congress in Dubai in early September, Al Budaiwi noted that the GCC economies altogether received $254 billion in 2025, accounting or 11.4 per cent of the gross domestic product.
Hind Aldah is a business reporter based in Sharjah. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.