Abu Dhabi - Mubasher: Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, discussed ways to enhance tourism cooperation with Spain and Croatia during a European tour.

During his meeting with Tončić Glavina, Croatia's Minister of Tourism and Sports, and Rosario Sánchez Grau, Spain's Secretary of State for Tourism, the UAE Minister of Economy discussed ways to enhance joint tourism cooperation in the coming period, advance it to more advanced and prosperous levels, and exchange the latest expertise and practices in the field of sustainable tourism development.

During a European tour that included Spain and Croatia, the UAE Minister of Economy affirmed that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with European markets and build fruitful partnerships in various tourism sectors and activities. This will support economic development and create new opportunities that will foster a prosperous future for the tourism sector, both regionally and globally.

He pointed out that UAE tourism has witnessed significant qualitative development, particularly in the adoption of forward-looking national initiatives that have contributed to the establishment of a distinguished tourism infrastructure, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

During his meetings with the tourism ministers of Spain and Croatia, Bin Touq reviewed the importance of the National Tourism Strategy 2031 and its prominent and vital role in supporting the sustainability and competitiveness of the country's tourism sector over the next decade.

He explained that this strategy set a set of national targets, including raising the UAE's standing to become the world's leading tourism destination.

He touched on a number of indicators achieved by the country's tourism sector, including an increase in hotel revenues in 2024 to reach AED 45 billion, a growth rate of 3% compared to 2023; a hotel occupancy rate of 78% in the country, among the highest regionally and globally; and the launch of 16 new hotels in the seven emirates, bringing the total to 1,251 hotels by the end of last year.

Bin Touq discussed with Rosario Sánchez Grau, Spain's Secretary of State for Tourism, the latest developments in the global tourism sector and mechanisms for enabling sustainable growth. They also discussed enhancing joint cooperation in various tourism sectors and the possibility of building new partnerships to support increased tourism exchange between the two countries in the coming period.

The number of Spanish tourists to the UAE reached 150,231 in 2024, an increase of more than 14% compared to 2023. The number of flights between the two countries reached approximately 48 flights per week via the two countries' airlines.

The UAE Minister of Economy also held another meeting with Tonjčić Glavina, Croatia's Minister of Tourism and Sports, to discuss supporting cooperation between tourism companies in the UAE and Croatian markets.