International tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: International tourism, number of arrivals was 8.08 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
International tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates, 2015–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates is 8.08 million, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is down 68.0% on the previous year and down 58.1% over ten years.
That places United Arab Emirates 26th out of 201 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
International tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 19.31 million | — |
| 2016 | 20.89 million | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 21.80 million | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 23.09 million | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 25.28 million | +9.5% |
| 2020 | 8.08 million | -68.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 22.08 million | 19.31 million | 25.28 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 8.08 million | 8.08 million | 8.08 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 23 Ireland 10.95 million compare
- 24 United States Virgin Islands 8.61 million compare
- 25 Kyrgyzstan 8.51 million compare
- 27 Greece 7.41 million compare
- 28 Argentina 7.40 million compare
- 29 Netherlands 7.26 million compare
More private sector data for United Arab Emirates
- Merchandise trade 208.2% (2024)
- Food imports 5.0% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 54.9% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 618.88 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.9% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 8.8% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 706.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 61,380 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.1 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 16.69 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in United Arab Emirates was 8.08 million in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 25.28 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.08 million in 2020.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 26th out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.