5 Reasons Why Tourism Is Poised to Explode in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

During the Dubai Airshow in November last year, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways placed orders for 86 Boeing 777/787s, while Dubai-based Emirates ordered $99 billion worth of equipment—including 150 Boeing 777s and 50 Airbus A380s—the largest single aircraft purchase in civil aviation history. Then in April this year, Dubai International Airport passed London’s Heathrow as the world’s busiest gateway for international travelers. And yet, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are just warming up in terms of tourism and hospitality development. The two cities in the United Arab Emirates, located 75 minutes apart by car, anchor a region “poised to take off” according to the new Amadeus study: Shaping the Future of Travel in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Member nations of the GCC are: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The paper examines tourism projections over the next 15 years throughout the entire region, but there's a disproportionately large focus on