UAE tops the charts in WEF tourism rankings for 2024!
Another milestone? Just another one on a Tuesday for Dubai!
But this one might be a big one, and definitely one you want to pull your attention to - In a year (so far) of remarkable milestones, the UAE has topped the chart of Middle East and Africa’s tourism record in a recent study conducted by WEF (World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index).
This comes as no surprise, from the vibrant streets to the iconic landmarks, the city shines brighter than ever - Plus, with foreign real estate fuelling Dubai’s property market to insanely new heights, the rise of tourism and the market’s incredible performance are just a starter!
Looking into UAE’s climb in rankings!
In the latest report by WEF (World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index), the UAE has rapidly improved its standing by climbing seven places from its previous 25th position in the 2021 index.
This progress comes by with a 4.4% increase in overall score, coming in line with the government's ongoing efforts to develop and innovate within the tourism industry.
What are the key driving factors behind this index?
The WEF index ranks 119 countries based on various factors, such as those that contribute to the development of the travel and tourism sector. These factors are grouped into five sub-indices, which are:
Enabling environment: This sub-indice evaluates the country's overall environment, including safety, security, sustainable practices and the overall business environment.
Travel and tourism policy: The travel sub-indice assesses the effectiveness of policies and conditions that support tourism, as well as looks into the funding of tourism in the country.
Infrastructure: This would be reviewing the quality and availability of infrastructure and services related to travel and tourism, as well as assessing the funding that is allocated annually for this sub-indice.
Travel and tourism resources: This sub-indice isn’t to be confused with the travel and tourism policy, as it focuses on natural and cultural resources that attract tourists and is largely focused on sustainability in tourism.
Sustainability: The most important of all, it measures the sustainability practices within the tourism sector.
Looking into the global and regional insights:
The United States, Spain, and Japan respectively all retained their top three positions. This came in line with a demonstrated consistent growth in their tourism sectors. Although, among high-income economies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only MENA countries that made it to the top ten for showing significant improvement between 2019 and 2024.
When looking deeper, the index also revealed that the MENA region, particularly the Middle East, saw the highest recovery rates in international tourist arrivals, surpassing pre-pandemic, 2019 levels by 20%. Europe, Africa, and the US also showed strong rebound levels, reaching 90% of the 2023 movement compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.
This comes as great news for the UAE, and it positions itself as a global leader in tourism, and in MENA.
Now, that’s something!
Planning a trip to Dubai? You could take a look at our Allsopp & Allsopp Holiday Homes!