Abu Dhabi Poised for 6 Million Hotel Guests by 2025, Says Culture and Tourism Official

Abu Dhabi expects to welcome over 6 million hotel guests this year, with tourism contributing more than 60 billion dirhams to the emirate's GDP. The projection comes as the capital strengthens its position as a major international sports and events destination through strategic partnerships.

Saud Abdul Aziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, announced these figures during the launch of a strategic partnership between his department, Etihad Airways, and the European Basketball League (EuroLeague). The collaboration shows how Abu Dhabi is building connections across different sectors to boost its tourism appeal.

The numbers back up this strategy. In the first half of this year, Abu Dhabi hotels received about 3 million guests, up from 2.88 million in the same period last year. Hotel revenues jumped 20% to 4.32 billion dirhams, compared to 3.6 billion dirhams previously. Hotels maintained an 80% occupancy rate during these six months.

Sports events play a key role in this growth. Al Hosani emphasized that hosting international championships and welcoming sports fans helps connect different countries and cultures through sports. These events aren't just entertainment - they're economic drivers that support the broader hospitality sector.

The emirate has set ambitious targets for 2030. Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030 aims to attract 39.3 million visitors annually and create 178,000 new jobs in the sector. The plan also calls for increasing hotel capacity to 50,000 rooms and raising tourism's contribution to GDP to 90 billion dirhams by 2030.

Current projections suggest Abu Dhabi is on track to meet these goals. Tourism contributed 55 billion dirhams to the emirate's GDP in 2024, and hotel revenues are expected to rise 13% this year to 8.6 billion dirhams, up from 7.6 billion dirhams in 2024.

For investors and tourism operators, these figures indicate strong momentum in Abu Dhabi's hospitality market. The consistent growth in visitor numbers, hotel revenues, and occupancy rates suggests the emirate's strategy of positioning itself as a global events destination is working. The focus on sports partnerships and international events provides a clear pathway for sustained tourism growth in the region.