79.5% hotel occupancy rate in the UAE in 11 months

The Hospitality Advisory Council held its first meeting for the year 2026, headed by the Minister of Economy and Tourism, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, and in the presence of representatives of the public and private sectors, including directors and heads of major national and international hotel establishments operating in the country.

The Council reviewed a group of new tourism initiatives and their pivotal role in enhancing the growth and sustainability of the UAE hotel sector during the current year, and discussed developments in the performance of this sector at the regional and global levels, in addition to future expectations for the movement of supply and demand during the coming period.

Abdullah bin Touq stressed that “the hospitality sector in the UAE, thanks to the vision and directives of the wise leadership, continues to achieve advanced growth rates, and is considered one of the most prominent main pillars for enhancing the competitiveness of the national tourism system at the regional and global levels.”

He pointed out that the hotel occupancy rate in the country reached 79.5% between January and November 2025, in addition to an increase in the average length of stay of guests to 3.42 nights, in conjunction with the continuous expansion of the sector’s capacity, bringing the number of hotels to 1,260 hotels, while the number of hotel rooms increased to about 216.9 thousand rooms, which reflects the strength of the hotel sector and its pivotal role in supporting the growth of national tourism.

Bin Touq added, during the meeting, that “the positive performance of the hospitality and hotel sector embodies the integration of the tourism system in the country, and reflects the effectiveness of the partnership between government agencies and the private sector, especially since the next stage requires continuing to work according to a methodology based on careful analysis of data, and balanced planning between supply and demand, ensuring the sustainability of growth and enhancing the competitiveness of this vital sector in the long term.”

He pointed out that the Council’s priorities during the current year focus on enhancing the efficiency of revenue management and flexible pricing strategies, which contributes to maximizing hotel and tourism revenues and ensuring the sustainability of the strong performance of the hospitality and hotel sector.

He noted that the priorities include diversifying tourism export markets, instead of relying on specific markets, in order to enhance the flexibility of this sector in the face of global fluctuations, in addition to developing long-term accommodation products and attracting segments of high-spending visitors, which increases the average length of stay in the UAE markets, enhances the economic return for each visitor, and contributes to increasing hotel revenues during the next stage.

In this context, Bin Touq stressed the importance of working to achieve a sustainable balance between the growth of the hotel room capacity in the country and the actual levels of demand, as well as supporting the adoption of digital solutions and artificial intelligence technologies in managing hotel operations and improving the guest experience, which contributes to consolidating the UAE’s position on the global tourism and travel map, and in line with the objectives of the “National Tourism Strategy 2031.”

Bin Touq pointed out that global demand for hotel rooms is still recording strong levels, compared to previous years, in parallel with the continued improvement of occupancy rates and average daily prices in a number of major markets, despite a relative slowdown in the pace of growth in some advanced economies.

He stressed that this performance reflects the ability of the tourism and hotel sector to adapt to global economic changes, maintain its operational stability and sustain its growth.

In this regard, Bin Touq noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries continue to achieve advanced growth rates in tourism demand, driven by the momentum of major events, the continuous development of infrastructure, in addition to the expansion of quality hotel investments.

Developing tourism products tailored for the elderly

The Hospitality Advisory Council reviewed a group of new initiatives aimed at developing tourism products specifically for the elderly, including long-term accommodation programs during the winter season in the country, enhancing the standards of friendly destinations for this category, in addition to tourism packages focusing on health and well-being, as attracting this segment contributes to increasing the average length of stay, raising tourism spending, and achieving greater stability in performance during the medium and low seasons.

The Council discussed initiatives related to the Silver Economy, which focuses on enhancing the contribution of the elderly to economic activities and sustainable growth, and stressed the importance of these initiatives in supporting the growth of the tourism sector, in light of global demographic shifts and the increasing proportion of elderly travelers.

Within the framework of developing tourism policies, the Council discussed the latest developments in the UAE’s tourism policy review project, in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which aims to assess the competitiveness of the sector, strengthen the governance and institutional coordination system, and develop the tourism data system, to support evidence-based decision-making.

In this regard, the Council stressed that this review constitutes an important step to enhance the sector’s sustainability and resilience, and adopt international best practices in the fields of sustainable tourism and data management.

The meeting touched on the “Guidelines for Family-Friendly Destinations” initiative, which aims to set clear standards to ensure the provision of safe and comprehensive tourist environments that take into account the needs of children and families in various tourist facilities, including hotels, parks, commercial centers, beaches and cultural sites.