UAE

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) was suspended on 16 March 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic until the start of 2021. The ONS have made every effort to produce high-quality estimates for the periods when IPS data is not being collected but have not been able to produce a full set of results. See the 2020 inbound page for more information. Data for 2021 and 2022 was also impacted by COVID-19, more information can be found on the About IPS page.
Due to the above, the latest full year IPS data below is from 2019. You can access data detailed data from 2020 onwards on the latest annual page.
Visitor characteristics
- Most visitors from the UAE are between 25 and 54 (80% in 2019), and there are very few 65+ Emiratis visiting Britain
- 76% of all holiday visitors from the UAE (excluding British expats) are making a repeat visit to Britain (within 10 years)
- In 2019, 31% of visitors from the UAE were British nationals while 37% 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
Global context
Measure | 2019 |
---|---|
International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 26.7 |
Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 14 |
Number of outbound visits (m) | 3.8 |
Most visited destination | Saudi Arabia |
Most visited destination in Western Europe | United Kingdom |
Key demographic and economic data
Measure | 2021 |
---|---|
Population (m) | 9.3 |
GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 68,166 |
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 2.4 |
Annual GDP growth (%) | 1.6 |