UAE welcomes 3.3M Gulf visitors in 2024, Saudis make up 58%

UAE hosts 1.9 million visitors from Saudi Arabia in 2024

UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the UAE Tourism Council Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said that the number of Gulf visitors to the country during 2024 reached around 3.3 million, accounting for 11% of total hotel guests.

Saudi Arabia ranked first with 1.9 million visitors, representing 58% of the total Gulf visitors to the UAE, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported, citing Al Marri, on World Tourism Day 2025.

GCC Visitors to UAE in 2024

The minister also indicated that, in light of these developments, the number of commercial licenses operating in tourism, hospitality, aviation, air transport, aviation technologies, and digital tourism solutions in the UAE reached 39,500 by mid-September 2025, marking a 275% growth compared to mid-September 2020.

He stressed that the UAE places the tourism sector at the forefront of its economic priorities, considering it a central pillar and a key driver of sustainable development, as well as an active contributor to economic growth and income diversification, given the sector’s increasing share in the country’s GDP.