UAE launches sixth World’s Coolest Winter campaign as tourism revenues top $11bn in 2025

The UAE has launched the sixth edition of its flagship World’s Coolest Winter campaign under the slogan ‘Our Winter is Entrepreneurial’, as the country’s tourism sector continues to post strong growth across revenues, occupancy and global rankings.

The national campaign forms part of the UAE Strategy for Domestic Tourism and underscores tourism’s role as a key driver of sustainable economic growth.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, announced the launch in collaboration with tourism entities across the emirates.

The strategy was originally launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and aims to develop an integrated and sustainable tourism ecosystem nationwide.

UAE Winter tourism campaign

Bin Touq said the campaign continues to gain momentum with each edition, strengthening tourism’s contribution to the national economy. In its sixth year, the initiative focuses on Emirati entrepreneurship and innovation, highlighting the sector’s investment potential and its ability to deliver distinctive visitor experiences.

He said: “Over the past five years, the campaign has achieved remarkable results, reaching more than 1.2bn people. It has further reinforced the UAE’s prominent position on the global tourism stage, while successfully advancing its objectives of promoting domestic tourism.

“In this sixth edition, the campaign will place a spotlight on entrepreneurship, showcasing the UAE tourism sector’s vast potential for innovation and globally unique experiences, while supporting Emirati entrepreneurs who are shaping this promising sector.”

Bin Touq added that the UAE’s tourism sector has continued its strong upward trajectory through the first ten months of 2025.

Visitor statistics

During this period, hotels nationwide welcomed 26.1m guests, marking a 5 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024 and generating more than 89m occupied room nights.

Hotel revenues rose by 8 per cent year on year to exceed AED40bn ($10.9bn), while hotel capacity reached 216,500 rooms across 1,241 establishments.

Average occupancy climbed to 79 per cent, supported by strong international demand and a vibrant domestic tourism market.

He also noted that the UAE ranked among the world’s top seven destinations for international tourism spending in 2025 and secured leading positions in global travel and aviation competitiveness indexes, including for the Quality of its Air Transport Infrastructure.

The year also marked several international milestones for the sector. UN Tourism elected Shaikha Al Nowais as the world’s first woman and first Emirati Secretary-General for the 2026–2029 term. UN Tourism named Masfout Village in Ajman the World’s Best Tourism Village 2025, while it designated Al Ain as the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2026.”

World’s Coolest Winter

Running for six weeks from December 16, the campaign will showcase eco-tourism destinations, green spaces and winter experiences across the UAE, directly supporting the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031.

Under the theme “Our Winter is Entrepreneurial”, the edition will spotlight tourism experiences developed by local entrepreneurs and startups and integrate their offerings into winter destinations nationwide.

Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director of the Tourism Development Department at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, said: “From its inception, this campaign has embodied the UAE’s integrated vision for a strong, diversified economy, achieved by fostering growth in key industries, particularly tourism. It was launched as a national strategy to boost domestic tourism and consolidate the UAE’s tourism product.

“It has since evolved into a landmark initiative and a powerful driver elevating the UAE’s tourism profile and advancing the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which targets AED100bn ($27.2bn) in new tourism investments, 40m hotel guests, and aims to raise the sector’s GDP contribution to AED450bn ($122.6bn) by 2031 at an average annual increase of AED27bn ($7.4bn).”

Entrepreneur support

He added: “We are now leveraging the campaign’s established success to act as a catalyst for innovative economic opportunity. Consequently, this sixth edition is themed ‘Our Winter is Entrepreneurial.’

“This slogan is guided by a vision to more deeply embed entrepreneurship and innovation into our tourism sector, further diversifying and strengthening its foundations.”

Since its launch, the World’s Coolest Winter campaign has generated hotel revenues of approximately AED6.7bn ($1.8bn) over five editions, with revenues rising by 90 per cent from AED1bn ($272m) in the first edition to AED1.9bn ($517m) in the fifth.

Tourism’s contribution to UAE GDP reached AED257.3bn ($70.1bn) in 2024, accounting for 13 per cent of the economy.

Khalid Kalbat, Director of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Ministry Of Economy and Tourism, said the sixth edition introduces a distinct focus on entrepreneurship while continuing to promote the UAE’s tourism assets.

Sector growth

Kalbat said: “The UAE is demonstrating exceptional and sustained growth in its tourism sector, earning top global rankings for competitiveness. Simultaneously, for the fourth consecutive year, the UAE has maintained its number one global ranking for entrepreneurship, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report.

“Today we are investing in this status, using the rapid expansion of our tourism industry as a catalyst for youth entrepreneurship. At the same time, we leverage innovation and entrepreneurship to drive growth within the tourism sector.”

He highlighted the role of SMEs, which contribute 63.5 per cent of non-oil GDP and represent 95 per cent of companies nationwide, supported by AED8.7bn ($2.4bn) in investment through the Projects of the 50 initiatives.

The Ministry called on stakeholders to align efforts throughout the campaign to maximise the synergy between tourism and entrepreneurship, positioning them as twin pillars of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision and reinforcing the country’s standing as a global hub for the new economy.