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Abu Dhabi Tourism Statistics for November 2026
The emirate of Abu Dhabi received a record 26.6 million visitors in 2025, and its hotels received 5.9 million guests, up 2.2% on 2024. Hotel revenues rose 19.5% to AED 9.1 billion and occupancy averaged 81%. In March 2026, after regional conflict closed UAE airspace in part from 28 February, hotels received 273,493 guests, about a third fewer than in March 2025.
How many people visit Abu Dhabi, where they come from, what they spend and where they stay. The figures cover the whole emirate, including Al Ain and Al Dhafra, and are compiled from official statistics, with full sources listed at the bottom of the page. Headline numbers are for 2025, the most recent full year, with 2026 so far where available.
Visitors · hotel guests
Visitors and hotel guests in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi received a record 26.6 million visitors in 2025, compared with nearly 24 million in 2023. The official visitor measure counts both overnight and same-day visitors. A smaller share stay in hotels: the emirate's hotels and hotel apartments received 5.9 million guests in 2025, up 2.2% on 2024, of whom 3.3 million came from abroad (+9.9%) and 2.6 million were domestic guests (-5.2%). The chart shows hotel guests, the measure published every month.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5.14m | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | 3.15m | pandemic |
| 2021 | 3.33m | |
| 2022 | 4.33m | |
| 2023 | 5.50m | |
| 2024 | 5.82m | |
| 2025 | 5.93m | record |
Hotel guests in hotels and hotel apartments across the emirate, including UAE residents. A guest who leaves and returns is counted again. Annual totals are the sum of the monthly figures; the 2025 total is published elsewhere as 5.9 million (+2.2%). Another 338,000 guests stayed in holiday homes and glamping sites in 2025. 2026 so far: 535,635 guests in January and 464,909 in February, close to a year earlier, then 273,493 in March, against 416,801 in March 2025. UAE airspace was partly closed from 28 February during a regional conflict, and restrictions were lifted on 2 May.
Tourism spending
What tourists spend in Abu Dhabi
Tourism spending in the emirate reached AED 38.5 billion in 2024, up 14% on 2023 and above the AED 36.4 billion of 2019. Passenger transport made up AED 21.4 billion of the 2024 total. Visitors spent AED 3.7 billion on food and drink, AED 3.0 billion on accommodation and AED 2.1 billion on attractions. No figure for 2025 had been published by early November 2026.
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | AED 36.4bn | pre-pandemic |
| 2020 | AED 11.5bn | pandemic |
| 2021 | AED 10.8bn | |
| 2022 | AED 22.3bn | |
| 2023 | AED 33.7bn | |
| 2024 | AED 38.5bn | +14% |
Tourism expenditure in the emirate, in nominal dirhams, covering spending by visitors and spending paid for by others on their behalf. The published series does not split spending by visitors from abroad from spending by UAE residents on domestic trips. Residents of Abu Dhabi spent AED 60.0 billion on trips abroad in 2024, more than visitors spent in the emirate.
Source markets
Where Abu Dhabi's hotel guests come from
India is Abu Dhabi's largest international market, with 436,000 hotel guests in 2025, up 21.9% on 2024. Russia (257,000), the UK (251,000) and China (248,000) followed, then Saudi Arabia (201,000) and the United States (145,000). China was the only one of the six to send fewer guests than in 2024. Bars show 2025 hotel guests; the muted figure is the 2024 total.
Hotel guests only, by market. International guests totalled 3.3 million in 2025 and domestic guests 2.6 million. UAE residents are counted as domestic guests and are not shown. The United States figure is published rounded to the nearest thousand.
Seasonality
When they visit
Abu Dhabi's hotels are busy all year. In 2025 the monthly total ranged from 416,801 guests in March to 543,439 in December. January (542,361), August (540,000) and December were the busiest months. Occupancy was highest in November (89.5%) and lowest in March (69.0%).
View data table
| Period | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 542K | |
| Feb | 462K | |
| Mar | 417K | lowest |
| Apr | 531K | |
| May | 481K | |
| Jun | 494K | |
| Jul | 514K | |
| Aug | 540K | |
| Sep | 445K | |
| Oct | 498K | |
| Nov | 467K | |
| Dec | 543K | highest |
Guests in hotels and hotel apartments, all nationalities, including UAE residents. In March 2026 occupancy fell to 54.3% and hotels received 273,493 guests.
Attractions
Most visited attractions in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is Abu Dhabi's most visited site. It received about 6.85 million guests in 2025, 4% more than in 2024 and the highest number on record; 4,331,046 of them came as visitors and 1,531,192 as worshippers. Louvre Abu Dhabi received 1.4 million visitors and Qasr Al Hosn more than 843,000 (+22%). The emirate's cultural sites and libraries received more than 8.6 million visitors in total.
Figures for 2025. The mosque total counts visitors and worshippers. The two Al Ain sites are the sum of monthly museum visitor counts. Counts come from different operators and are not strictly comparable.
Accommodation
Hotels & occupancy
Abu Dhabi's hotels were 81% full on average in 2025. They took AED 9.1 billion in revenue, up 19.5%, as the average daily room rate rose 18.9% to AED 591. Guests spent 16.6 million nights in hotels (+4.4%) and stayed 2.8 nights on average. The emirate had 172 hotels with 34,739 rooms. Abu Dhabi city received 5.33 million of the hotel guests, the Al Ain region 473,100 (+9%) and the Al Dhafra region 147,900 (+3%).
Economic impact
Tourism in Abu Dhabi's economy
Tourism spending in the emirate reached AED 38.5 billion in 2024. The emirate's tourism strategy put the contribution of travel and tourism to Abu Dhabi's GDP at about AED 49 billion in 2023 and sets a target of AED 90 billion a year by 2030. Hotel revenues reached AED 9.1 billion in 2025. Business events drew 2.2 million delegates in 2025, up 40%.
The AED 49 billion figure was published as an approximate 2023 value when the strategy was launched in April 2024; no later figure has been published, and the method behind it is not stated. Spending figures are nominal.
At a glance
Fast facts
- 32.5m Passengers at Zayed International airport (2025, record)
- 3.3m International hotel guests (2025, +9.9%)
- 2.8 nights Average hotel stay (2025)
- 338,000 Guests in holiday homes and glamping sites (2025)
- 4.2m Attendees at culture and leisure events (2025, +20%)
- 39.3m Target for annual visitors by 2030
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit Abu Dhabi each year?
The emirate of Abu Dhabi received a record 26.6 million visitors in 2025, compared with nearly 24 million in 2023. The total includes same-day visitors as well as those who stay overnight. Hotels and hotel apartments received 5.9 million guests in 2025, up 2.2% on 2024, of whom 3.3 million came from abroad.
How many tourists have visited Abu Dhabi in 2026?
No 2026 visitor total has been published. Hotel figures run to March 2026. Hotels received 535,635 guests in January and 464,909 in February, close to a year earlier. UAE airspace was partly closed from 28 February during a regional conflict, and in March hotels received 273,493 guests, against 416,801 in March 2025. Occupancy fell to 54.3% in March. Restrictions on UAE airspace were lifted on 2 May.
Where do most tourists in Abu Dhabi come from?
India is the largest international market, with 436,000 hotel guests in 2025 (+21.9%). Russia (257,000), the UK (251,000), China (248,000), Saudi Arabia (201,000) and the United States (145,000) followed. These are hotel guests; 2.6 million of the 5.9 million hotel guests in 2025 were domestic.
How much do tourists spend in Abu Dhabi?
Tourism spending in the emirate was AED 38.5 billion in 2024, up 14% on 2023. AED 21.4 billion of that was on passenger transport, AED 3.7 billion on food and drink and AED 3.0 billion on accommodation. The figure covers all visitors, including UAE residents on domestic trips. Hotel revenues reached AED 9.1 billion in 2025, and the average room cost AED 591 a night.
What is the hotel occupancy rate in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi's hotels were 81% full on average in 2025. Monthly occupancy ranged from 69.0% in March to 89.5% in November. The emirate had 172 hotels with 34,739 rooms. In March 2026 occupancy fell to 54.3%.
How many people visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque?
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque received about 6.85 million guests in 2025, 4% more than in 2024 and its highest total on record. Of these, 4,331,046 came as visitors and 1,531,192 as worshippers. Louvre Abu Dhabi received 1.4 million visitors in 2025.
Using these figures?
Cite this page
Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to use the statistics on this page. Please credit Abu Dhabi Tourism Statistics and link to this page.
Abu Dhabi Tourism Statistics (2026). Visitors, spending and trends. Last reviewed 2 November 2026. https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/abu-dhabi
<a href="https://www.globaltourismstatistics.com/abu-dhabi">Abu Dhabi Tourism Statistics</a> Notes & sources
Methodology & sources
This page compiles publicly available official statistics; the sources for every figure are listed below. Caveats:
- The 26.6 million total for 2025 comes from the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT), which does not define it in its release. DCT's Tourism Strategy 2030 measures visitors as overnight plus same-day visitors and gives the 2023 baseline as nearly 24 million, so the 2025 figure is taken to use the same basis. No 2024 total was found. The visitor total and hotel guest figures cannot be compared with Dubai's count of international overnight visitors.
- Annual hotel guests for 2019–2025 are the sum of the monthly figures for hotel establishments (hotels and hotel apartments) from the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD), read from its indicator data. The sums for 2023 (5,504,279) and 2024 (5,819,174) match DCT's published totals. For 2025 the sum is 5,934,657, 2.0% above 2024; DCT reports 5.9 million and +2.2%. SCAD monthly data ran to March 2026 when this page was compiled. The March 2026 comparison and the 2025 monthly figures are SCAD values. International and domestic splits, source markets, nights, average stay, rates and supply are from DCT's Annual Report 2025 and its 2024 Hotel Performance Report. DCT's annual report gives the average stay as 2.8 nights; its April 2026 release gives 2.9 nights, which may include holiday homes.
- Tourism spending is SCAD's annual tourism expenditure series for the emirate, by product, in nominal dirhams; 2024 is the latest year. The growth of 14% is SCAD's rounded figure. The series covers all visitors and does not separate inbound from domestic spending. The AED 49 billion GDP figure is from the Abu Dhabi Media Office release of 4 April 2024 launching the Tourism Strategy 2030. MICE delegates (2.2 million), event attendance (4.2 million) and cultural site visits (8.6 million) are DCT figures from the 6 April 2026 release.
- Louvre Abu Dhabi (1.4 million) and Qasr Al Hosn (843,000) are from DCT. SCAD's monthly museum series gives a higher Louvre count (1,576,286 for 2025 when the months are added up), so the DCT figure is used. Qasr Al Muwaiji and Al Jahili Fort are sums of SCAD monthly counts. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque figures were released by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre through WAM; the Centre's own page could not be opened, so they are taken from a news report. Zayed International's 32.5 million passengers are from the Abu Dhabi Airports release and include transit passengers and residents; the federal statistics centre gives 34.2 million for all Abu Dhabi airports. The dates of the 2026 airspace closures are from news reports.
- No purpose-of-visit split for Abu Dhabi visitors is published, so that section is omitted. No 2026 visitor total, and no hotel figures after March 2026, had been published by 2 November 2026.
Primary sources
- Abu Dhabi Media Office: DCT Abu Dhabi results for 2025 : 26.6M visitors, 5.9M hotel guests (+2.2%), hotel revenues AED 9.1 billion (+19.5%), 81% occupancy, top international hotel markets, Al Ain and Al Dhafra guests, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Hosn visitors, holiday homes, events and MICE in 2025. Published 6 Apr 2026.
- Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi: Annual Report 2025 : Hotel guests (5.9M), international (3.3M, +9.9%) and domestic (2.6M, -5.2%) guests, 16.6M guest nights, 2.8 nights average stay, ADR AED 591, RevPAR AED 482, 172 hotels and 34,739 rooms, top source markets and guests by region for 2025.
- Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi: 2024 Hotel Performance Report : 2024 hotel guests (5.8M, +6%), 3M international guests, monthly guests and revenues for 2023 and 2024, and guests from the main international markets.
- Abu Dhabi Media Office: DCT Abu Dhabi Tourism Strategy 2030 : Nearly 24M visitors in 2023 (overnight and same-day) and a target of 39.3M by 2030; tourism GDP of about AED 49 billion in 2023 and a target of AED 90 billion. Published 4 Apr 2024.
- Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD): Number of guests in hotel establishments, monthly : Monthly guests in hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate, January 2010 to March 2026 (updated 22 Jul 2026). Companion monthly series for guest nights, occupancy and total hotel revenue.
- Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD): Tourism expenditures in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by type of expenditure, annual : Tourism expenditure in the emirate by product, 2019 to 2024 (AED 38.5 billion in 2024, +14%), with outbound tourism expenditure of residents. Updated 29 Dec 2025.
- Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD): Number of visitors to museums by museum and month : Monthly visitors to museums and heritage sites in the emirate, including Qasr Al Muwaiji and Al Jahili Fort, to July 2026 (updated 23 Sep 2026).
- The National: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque visitor figures for 2025 : News report of figures released through WAM: about 6.85M guests in 2025 (+4%), of whom 4,331,046 visitors and 1,531,192 worshippers. Published 31 Jan 2026.
- Abu Dhabi Airports: 2025 traffic results, as published by Zawya : Zayed International handled a record 32.5M passengers in 2025, and 8.59M in the fourth quarter (+13.8%). Company press release, January 2026.
- Khaleej Times: Dubai Airports scale up operations as UAE airspace reopens : News report: UAE airspace partly closed from 28 Feb 2026, briefly fully closed on 17 Mar, and all restrictions lifted on 2 May 2026. Published 4 May 2026.