UAE Tourism Industry Sees Record Growth and Shift to Digital Age

The UAE's tourism industry has reached a pivotal phase, driven by government investments, visa reforms, and digital transformation. Dubai welcomed a record 9.88 million overnight visitors in the first half of 2025, contributing 12% of the country's GDP. The industry's growth is characterized by a shift towards digital engagement, with travellers increasingly using online platforms to plan and book trips. As the UAE attracts a growing number of visitors, brands are leveraging AI-powered targeting and programmatic advertising to capture the attention of discerning travellers.

Key Takeaways:

The UAE's tourism industry is expected to contribute AED236 billion or 12% of GDP in 2024, with Dubai alone welcoming 9.88 million overnight visitors in H1 2025.
Travellers are increasingly using online platforms to plan and book trips, with 41.7% relying on search engines, 21% engaging via Telegram Ads, and 20% guided by social media recommendations.
Programmatic advertising, first-party data, and location-based targeting are becoming increasingly popular strategies among travel brands, with nearly half of travellers influenced by targeted ad campaigns.
Yango Ads' GGC Tourism brand awareness campaign achieved a 13% increase in actual flight and hotel bookings on travel aggregator platforms within a seven-day attribution window.
Hotel partnerships and bespoke tourism itinerary planning platforms are emerging as effective strategies to drive bookings and visibility among travel brands.
Large-scale festive activations require 5–12 months of preparation, while regional campaigns demand agility within a 1–3 month window, highlighting the importance of early planning and timely execution.

Statistics:

AED236 billion: the expected contribution of the UAE's tourism industry to GDP in 2024.
9.88 million: the number of overnight visitors Dubai welcomed in the first half of 2025.
41.7%: the percentage of travellers relying on search engines for trip planning.
21%: the percentage of travellers engaging with Telegram Ads.
20%: the percentage of travellers guided by social media recommendations.
13%: the increase in actual flight and hotel bookings achieved by Yango Ads' GGC Tourism brand awareness campaign.
5–12 months: the typical preparation time required for large-scale festive activations.
1–3 months: the typical time frame required for regional campaigns.
$1.22 billion: the projected ad investment in the UAE in 2025.

Sources:

Malika Kennedy, Chief Business Development Officer, Yango Ads MEA.
Yango Ads' 2025 Tourism Industry Guide report.
SyndiGate Media Inc. ( ).