Dubai seeks tourism record as World Travel Market opens

London-based event is one of the pillars of the global travel industry

WTM Dubai 2025

Dubai sees the popularity of “home-grown concepts” as an emerging strength in its goal to beat last year's 18.7 million visitors to the emirate.

Speaking at the World Travel Market, Shahab Shayan of the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said the record figures “spoke mountains” for what's on offer to those arriving in the emirate.

A key strength of Dubai is that it is able to offer value for money, if not by price then by what is delivered. For example, dozens of three star hotels can offer facilities that are internationally only available in five star establishments.

Shahab Abdulla Shayan, Regional Director, Asia-Pacific Region, International Operations at DCTCM

Add to that the edge in tourism themes, such as wellness, gastronomy and desert glamping, Mr Shayan said. He took pride in global phenomena such as the craze for “Dubai Chocolate” inspired by the Fix line and a very popular pop-up at Harrods, the London department store.

An Aston Martin DB5 on display at the the Sharjah stand at the World Travel Market in London. Damien McElroy / The National

“We currently just launched the Dubai fitness challenge that's a full month and that's gone global in terms of positioning,” Mr Shayan said. “We talk about value for money but not in essence of looking for the most affordable price, but in reality what the value of your money represents. And a big component of that is to show Dubai is for all segments.”

Other highlights of the stand at the London event for tourism include the new autism destination designation and 153 of the 812 hotels boast a sustainable tourism stamp.

The arrival of Michelin awards for the local eateries is another strong selling point. “In the last three years, we've had the Michelin Guide, which has really taken and enhanced Dubai's food scene, especially having home-grown concepts being awarded Michelin stars,” he said. “We actually have the first three star Michelin Indian restaurant in Dubai in the world.”

India is the top-ranked point of origin for Dubai visitors, followed by the UK.

DET’s participation at WTM is aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which seeks to promote a live, work and visit ethos.

On the Dubai stand are 71 partners and entities, representing airlines, hotels, attractions, and destination management companies. “Our presence at World Travel Market this year, alongside our key stakeholders and partners, reinforces Dubai’s commitment to a resilient, accessible, and sustainable model of tourism growth,” added Issam Kazim, chief executive of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM). “As we engage with industry leaders and experts at WTM, we will continue to set the benchmark for excellence in the global tourism landscape.”

A presentation at the World Travel Market in London. Damien McElroy / The National

Industry partners on the stand include Emirates, flydubai, Emaar Entertainment Group, Museum of the Future, Rove Hotels, Desert Adventures Tourism, DP World, Dubai Holding Entertainment, Dubai Municipality and Expo City Dubai.

The UAE has a robust presence at the WTM with hundreds of exhibitors across the emirates. The experiences on offer to the visitors include an Aston Martin DB5 James Bond themed road tour in Sharjah.

Travel trends reports presented at the WTM by Oxford Economics underline the strong growth in tourism across the UAE.

“We've seen lots of development in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and we're also looking at developments in other emirates. Notably, we've seen new creative resorts in Ras Al Khaimah as well as some more nature based tourism development in Sharjah,” said Dave Goodger, managing director EMEA at Tourism Economics.

Globally, the number of tourism arrivals is set to pass the 2019 level, reaching more than 1.5 billion this year. Within a decade, tourism is expected to generate 12 per cent of worldwide GDP.