Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE's Minister of Economy and Tourism, told the Future Hospitality Summit World in Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah on Tuesday that 2027 would be a "counter-attack year" for the national economy, predicting a strong rebound after a period of slower growth.
Al Marri said the UAE economy had faced headwinds in recent months amid regional tensions, but described a "huge rebound" as being on the horizon. The International Monetary Fund forecasts the UAE's real GDP will grow 3.1 per cent in 2026, with 2027 expected to show a stronger growth path as tourism, trade, property and transport activity normalise.
The minister pointed to the UAE's target of attracting 40 million hotel guests by 2031 under its national tourism strategy. He also referenced the "UAE Grand Tour," an 11-day, 10-night nationwide itinerary launched earlier this month, designed to encourage visitors to extend their stays and explore all seven emirates rather than concentrating on Dubai and Abu Dhabi alone.
Figures presented at the summit put the UAE's total hotel capacity at 216,000 keys, of which roughly 10,000 are temporarily offline for renovation work.
Al Marri also received the summit's Leadership Award during the event. His remarks come as the UAE's hospitality and tourism sector remains one of the country's key non-oil revenue pillars, with officials seeking to project confidence in the economic outlook despite continued regional volatility.