UAE launches winter 2025-26 tourism campaign

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UAE tourism campaign worlds coolest winter

The launch of the 'World’s Coolest Winter' campaign

The UAE has launched the sixth edition of its ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ campaign, spotlighting local enterprises and eco-conscious tourism initiatives across all seven emirates.

Running for six weeks from 16 December, the latest edition features the slogan, ‘Our Winter is Entrepreneurial’, emphasising the role of startups and small businesses in shaping the UAE’s tourism sector. The campaign aims to integrate homegrown products and services into seasonal destinations and experiences , while promoting investment in tourism projects nationwide.

Since its launch in 2020, the campaign has generated more than AED6 billion in hotel revenues, with earnings growing by 90% between its first and fifth campaigns. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, also noted that the initiative has reached more than 1.2 billion people, highlighting its growth within the past five years.

“In this sixth edition, the campaign will place a spotlight on entrepreneurship, showcasing the UAE tourism sector’s vast potential for innovation and globally unique experiences, while supporting Emirati entrepreneurs who are shaping this promising sector,” added Bin Touq.

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The campaign forms part of the UAE Strategy for Domestic Tourism and supports the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 which targets AED100 billion in new investments and 40 million guests.

Tourism continues to be a key pillar of the UAE economy, contributing AED257.3 billion to GDP in 2024, equivalent to around 13% of the national economy. In the first 10 months of 2025, hotels across the country welcomed more than 26 million guests, marking a 5% year-on-year increase. Hotel capacity grew to 216,500 rooms nationwide, while average occupancy reached 79%.

Meanwhile, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also growing, accounting for more than 60% of the UAE’s non-oil GDP by 2022, and are expected to benefit from the expanding tourism sector, further supporting economic diversification.

The UAE is also gaining wider regional and international recognition, with Al Ain recently crowned the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2026 and Dubai under consideration as the future headquarters of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

For more information, visit worldscoolestwinter.ae