Abu Dhabi aims to welcome 24 million tourists by 2023

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Following last year’s strong performance, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) has outlined a roadmap to 2023.

According to a report released by Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi plans to increase the total number of tourists from 18 million to over 24 million by 2022. Abu Dhabi Media Office.

Saood Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Culture is at the heart of everything we do and we have set bold and ambitious goals for 2023 to promote, preserve and develop Abu Dhabi and share it with the world. Proud to share some of our 2022 results which powerfully demonstrate how we have re-ignited growth engines through a resilient culture and tourism sector through visionary leadership and key partnerships across the creative industries.

display cultural heritage

DCT Abu Dhabi believes that a significant proportion (47%) of international tourists visiting the UAE are there to explore the country’s culture. Cultural attractions in DCT Abu Dhabi are expected to welcome around 4 million visitors this year, an increase of more than 1 million visitors compared to 2022, as the cultural seeker community rises.

Al Hosani added: “We are creating new jobs and career opportunities, promoting the development of the entire cultural and creative industries, while enabling business and leisure tourism to flourish. Our purpose is to share Abu Dhabi with the world and enrich people’s Life.”

DCT Abu Dhabi also promotes Arabic, and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center (ALC) increases Arabic proficiency in the UAE community, while supporting the development of the Arabic publishing industry through key projects such as Kalima and Isdarat.

Al Hosani said: “We are proud to continue to develop Abu Dhabi’s major museums such as the Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum and Al Ain Museum, while also hosting cultural events such as the upcoming Year of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.In its sixth edition, we will once again bring together leaders from the fields of arts, heritage, media, museums, public policy and technology to explore how culture transforms societies and communities around the world. “

In its annual report, Abu Dhabi Tourism revealed that tourist arrivals will continue to grow in 2022, with international visitors to the emirate up 17% year-on-year. The report also listed the three most visited venues managed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Cultural Foundation and Qasr Al Hosn.

The ministry also managed to inscribe two new Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) elements on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, including the ancient art of camel calls and date palms.

business traveler

In 2022, Abu Dhabi welcomed 603,000 MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) visitors and hosted 1,210 MICE events, showcasing its exhibition venues, hotels and supporting facilities.

Leisure and MICE tourist numbers are helping hotels achieve occupancy rates of over 70% by 2022, according to DCT Abu Dhabi. Among them, compared with 2021, overnight hotel guests increased by 24%, the average length of stay per tourist increased by three nights, and compared with 2022, revenue per available room increased significantly by 18% year-on-year.

DCT Abu Dhabi said it will continue to work closely with Miral, Etihad Airways, ADNEC and other partners to attract more events and exhibitors to the emirate. It added that Abu Dhabi was recently named the best association meeting city in the Middle East by the International Congress and Convention Association.

Adventure and Theme Parks

To achieve its goal of exceeding 24 million tourist arrivals by 2023, DCT Abu Dhabi said it will continue to develop its destination offerings such as Sea World Yas IslandAbu Dhabi, Pixoul Gaming, Adrenark Adventure and abu dhabi snow.