United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Intro
Travellers from the UAE made 3.8 million outbound visits in 2019, with a total international tourism expenditure of US$26.7 billion.
In 2022, the UK welcomed 379,517 visits from United Arab Emirates. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was £792.63 million, with an average spend of £2,089 per person.
Discover visitor behaviour, travel trade insights, detailed visualisations for this market – and more. The statistics in this market report are collated from a range of sources such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as well as sponsored questions and our own research. For further details, see How we source this information.
Visitor characteristics
- Most visitors from the UAE are aged between 25 and 54 (77% in 2022). Very few Emiratis over the age of 65 visit Britain.
- 76% of all holiday visitors from the UAE (excluding British expats) are making a repeat visit to Britain (within 10 years).
- In 2022, 39% of visitors from the UAE were British nationals, while 25% were Emiratis.
- 81% of departing UAE visitors (excluding British expats) say they are ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Britain for a visit, on par with the all-market average of 82%.
Popular activities for this market
Dining in a restaurant.
Sightseeing of famous buildings and monuments.
Going shopping.
Explore the data
Explore the inbound data in full
Use our visualisations to see data from this market in greater depth and clarity. Compare annual statistics, and filter by age group, gender, trip duration and more. Includes seasonality, trip purpose and regional spread of visitors to UK destinations. This data is based on the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
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Perceptions of Britain in the UAE market
- Key holiday ‘wants’ include ‘enjoying the beauty of the landscape’, ‘having fun and laughter’ and ‘good value for money’. Italy is seen as the ‘best place’ for the former two, and the USA for the latter.
- Factors that are low on the market’s holiday priorities include ‘getting some sun’ and ‘watching a sporting event’.
- Britain rates well for ‘visiting a place with lots of history’, but not as favourably as Italy.
Global context
Top-level statistics relating to the population, GDP, tourism expenditure and popular destinations for this market. For greater detail on inbound tourism flows from this market to the UK, see our data visualisations.
Measure | 2019 |
International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 26.7 |
Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 14 |
Number of outbound visits (m) | 3.8 |
Most visited destination | Saudi Arabia |
| Most visited destination in Western Europe | UK |
Key demographic and economic data
Measure | 2021 |
Population (m) | 9.5 |
GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 92,701 |
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 2.9 |
Annual GDP growth (%) | 2.4 |
Caring for visitors
- English is widely spoken and understood.
- Arab families like hotel suites or interconnecting rooms, or renting an apartment.
- Hospitality is a key element of Emirati culture, so small gestures and being available to answer questions will be very much appreciated.
The leisure and travel trade
- Many travel agents are, in effect, ticketing agents with limited product knowledge.
- Key times of year for promotional visits to the region are February to late May and September to November.
- The working week traditionally started on Sunday and ended on Thursday, but in early 2022 the UAE introduced a Western-style working week from Monday to Friday.
Access to Britain from the UAE
The key routes and transport modes that connect this market with the UK.
Measure | 2023 |
Weekly aircraft departures | 180 |
Weekly seat capacity | 80,380 |
Airports with direct routes in the UAE | 2 |
Airports with direct routes in Britain | 7 |
- The Dubai to London Heathrow route is set to have the highest share of departing seats in 2023 at 35% of seats to the UK. In 2023, two airports in the United Arab Emirates serve seven airports in the UK.
- In 2023, the highest rates of flight departures are set to take place in October, November and December.
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 59% reduction in direct seat capacity from the UAE to the UK in 2020, and 2021 was 71% behind pre-COVID levels. 2022 was 27% behind pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, direct seat capacity from the United Arab Emirates to the UK is set to recover to 92% of pre-pandemic (2019) capacity.
- The current reduced rate of Air Passenger Duty for visitors departing Britain for the UAE is £87.
- Emirati nationals can pay £30 for a visa waiver to enter the UK.
Further resources
UAE market snapshot.pdf
GCC Market and Trade Profile 2021
UAE Aviation Profile.pdf
UAE COVID-19 Travel Sentiment.pdf
UK Expats living in the UAE & their visitation behaviour.pdf
Reluctant Returners Expat persona infographic.pdf
Valiant Visitors Expat persona infographic.pdf
Where UAE visitors reside.xlsx
Perceived barriers to visitors from the UAE exploring Britain outside of London.pdf
How we source this information
We work with a number of data sources to provide a rich and insightful picture of our key inbound source markets. This includes, but is not limited to, data provided by Oxford Economics, the UNWTO, Apex, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and from our own surveys and ad-hoc research. The largest share of the data comes from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the ONS.
Visit our About the International Passenger Survey page for more information on how the data is collected and analysed.
