UAE named region’s leading tourism destination in WEF report
The UAE has consolidated its position as the leading tourism destination in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ranking first in the region and 18th worldwide in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI).
The result marks a significant improvement on the country’s ranking of 25th worldwide in the previous instalment of the report, which was published in 2021.
The TTDI report evaluates 119 economies worldwide according to their performance in five key areas: environmental protection; travel and tourism policy and infrastructure; infrastructure and services; travel and tourism resources such as nature and culture; and the sustainability of the travel and tourism sector.
Index boosts travel and tourism worldwide
The index serves as a strategic benchmarking tool for stakeholders including private sector firms, governments, and international organisations, and aims to foster growth in travel and tourism worldwide.
The UAE’s impressive rise in the rankings is testament to the significant investments being made in the country’s travel and tourism infrastructure, and the success of its national tourism campaigns in key visitor source markets.
Among high-income economies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the only countries in the top ten to demonstrate the most significant improvements in performance between 2019 and 2024.
Middle East spearheads post-pandemic recovery
The report singled out the Middle East for boasting the highest recovery rates in terms of international tourist arrivals following the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2023 visitor numbers exceeding 2019 levels by 20%. This recovery contrasts with Europe, Africa, and the Americas, which achieved just 90 percent of their pre-pandemic figures in 2023.
"This year represents a turning point for the travel and tourism sector," commented Francisco Betti, head of the Global Industries Team and member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum.
Globally, the United States retained the top ranking in the index, followed by Spain and Japan.