Abu Dhabi Sees Record 26.6M Visitors in 2025 Growth

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has announced that Abu Dhabi welcomed a record 26.6 million visitors in 2025, marking a major milestone in its journey to becoming a global cultural and tourism hub. The achievement highlights the emirate’s growing international appeal and its focus on sustainable economic development.

Strong Growth Across Tourism and Culture

DCT Abu Dhabi reported its best-ever performance in 2025, with hotel revenues rising by 19.5% year-on-year to AED 9.1 billion. The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector also witnessed remarkable growth, with delegate numbers increasing by 40% to 2.2 million.

Cultural and leisure events attracted over 4.2 million attendees, up 20% compared to 2024. More than 8.6 million people visited cultural sites and libraries, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s strong cultural appeal. Notably, Qasr Al Hosn recorded a 22% rise in visitors.

Cultural Vision Driving Tourism Success

Officials emphasized that culture remains at the core of Abu Dhabi’s tourism strategy. The continued development of the Saadiyat Cultural District and landmark attractions has enhanced the emirate’s global identity, contributing to sustained growth and stronger visitor engagement.

Major Events Boost Visitor Numbers

In 2025, Abu Dhabi hosted 252 cultural and leisure events, drawing millions of attendees. Highlights included:

• MOTN Festival with over 252,000 visitors

• Concerts by Coldplay at Zayed Sports City attracting 193,000 attendees

• Abu Dhabi T10 with around 100,000 spectators

• Liwa International Festival drawing over 159,000 visitors

Heritage festivals, including Al Hosn Festival and Maritime Heritage Festival, collectively welcomed more than 608,000 visitors.

MICE Sector Sees Rapid Expansion

The MICE sector recorded 6,600 events in 2025, a 37% increase, attracting 2.2 million delegates. Key events included:

• IDEX/NAVDEX

• Make it in the Emirates

• Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

These events significantly contributed to business tourism and economic activity.

Cultural Attractions Continue to Thrive

Among cultural landmarks, Louvre Abu Dhabi remained a top attraction with 1.4 million visitors, while Qasr Al Hosn welcomed over 843,000 visitors.

The emirate also expanded its cultural landscape with new and reopened attractions, including:

• Zayed National Museum

• Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi

• Al Ain Museum

Hotel and Tourism Performance

Abu Dhabi hosted 5.9 million hotel guests in 2025, alongside 338,000 guests in holiday homes and glamping sites. Hotel occupancy rose to 81%, reflecting strong demand.

International arrivals increased by 10%, with India leading the growth with a 22% rise in visitors. Other key markets included Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Hotel performance indicators also improved significantly:

• Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by 19%

• Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) rose by 23%

• Average Length of Stay reached 2.9 nights

Regional Growth in Al Ain and Al Dhafra

The Al Ain Region and Al Dhafra Region also showed strong growth. Al Ain welcomed over 473,000 visitors, while Al Dhafra recorded nearly 148,000 guests, driven largely by leisure tourism.

These achievements underline Abu Dhabi’s steady progress toward its Tourism Strategy 2030 goals, positioning the emirate for continued expansion as a leading global destination for culture, leisure, and business tourism.