The UAE has launched the sixth version of its flagship World’s Coolest Winter marketing campaign beneath the slogan ‘Our Winter is Entrepreneurial’, because the nation’s tourism sector continues to publish robust development throughout revenues, occupancy and world rankings.
The nationwide marketing campaign varieties a part of the UAE Technique for Home Tourism and underscores tourism’s position as a key driver of sustainable financial development.
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Financial system and Tourism, introduced the launch in collaboration with tourism entities throughout the emirates.
The technique was initially launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and goals to develop an built-in and sustainable tourism ecosystem nationwide.
UAE Winter tourism marketing campaign
Bin Touq stated the marketing campaign continues to realize momentum with every version, strengthening tourism’s contribution to the nationwide financial system. In its sixth 12 months, the initiative focuses on Emirati entrepreneurship and innovation, highlighting the sector’s funding potential and its means to ship distinctive customer experiences.
He stated: “Over the previous 5 years, the marketing campaign has achieved outstanding outcomes, reaching greater than 1.2bn folks. It has additional bolstered the UAE’s outstanding place on the worldwide tourism stage, whereas efficiently advancing its aims of selling home tourism.
“On this sixth version, the marketing campaign will place a highlight on entrepreneurship, showcasing the UAE tourism sector’s huge potential for innovation and globally distinctive experiences, whereas supporting Emirati entrepreneurs who’re shaping this promising sector.”
Bin Touq added that the UAE’s tourism sector has continued its robust upward trajectory by means of the primary ten months of 2025.
Customer statistics
Throughout this era, accommodations nationwide welcomed 26.1m visitors, marking a 5 per cent enhance in comparison with the identical interval in 2024 and producing greater than 89m occupied room nights.
Resort revenues rose by 8 per cent 12 months on 12 months to exceed AED40bn ($10.9bn), whereas lodge capability reached 216,500 rooms throughout 1,241 institutions.
Common occupancy climbed to 79 per cent, supported by robust worldwide demand and a vibrant home tourism market.
He additionally famous that the UAE ranked among the many world’s prime seven locations for worldwide tourism spending in 2025 and secured main positions in world journey and aviation competitiveness indexes, together with for the High quality of its Air Transport Infrastructure.
The 12 months additionally marked a number of worldwide milestones for the sector. UN Tourism elected Shaikha Al Nowais because the world’s first girl and first Emirati Secretary-Normal for the 2026–2029 time period. UN Tourism named Masfout Village in Ajman the World’s Finest Tourism Village 2025, whereas it designated Al Ain because the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2026.”
World’s Coolest Winter
Working for six weeks from December 16, the marketing campaign will showcase eco-tourism locations, inexperienced areas and winter experiences throughout the UAE, instantly supporting the UAE Tourism Technique 2031.
Beneath the theme “Our Winter is Entrepreneurial”, the version will highlight tourism experiences developed by native entrepreneurs and startups and combine their choices into winter locations nationwide.
Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director of the Tourism Improvement Division on the Ministry of Financial system and Tourism, stated: “From its inception, this marketing campaign has embodied the UAE’s built-in imaginative and prescient for a powerful, diversified financial system, achieved by fostering development in key industries, significantly tourism. It was launched as a nationwide technique to spice up home tourism and consolidate the UAE’s tourism product.
“It has since advanced right into a landmark initiative and a strong driver elevating the UAE’s tourism profile and advancing the UAE Tourism Technique 2031, which targets AED100bn ($27.2bn) in new tourism investments, 40m lodge visitors, and goals to lift the sector’s GDP contribution to AED450bn ($122.6bn) by 2031 at a median annual enhance of AED27bn ($7.4bn).”
Entrepreneur assist
He added: “We at the moment are leveraging the marketing campaign’s established success to behave as a catalyst for progressive financial alternative. Consequently, this sixth version is themed ‘Our Winter is Entrepreneurial.’
“This slogan is guided by a imaginative and prescient to extra deeply embed entrepreneurship and innovation into our tourism sector, additional diversifying and strengthening its foundations.”
Since its launch, the World’s Coolest Winter marketing campaign has generated lodge revenues of roughly AED6.7bn ($1.8bn) over 5 editions, with revenues rising by 90 per cent from AED1bn ($272m) within the first version to AED1.9bn ($517m) within the fifth.
Tourism’s contribution to UAE GDP reached AED257.3bn ($70.1bn) in 2024, accounting for 13 per cent of the financial system.
Khalid Kalbat, Director of Small and Medium Enterprises Improvement, Ministry Of Financial system and Tourism, stated the sixth version introduces a definite give attention to entrepreneurship whereas persevering with to advertise the UAE’s tourism belongings.
Sector development
Kalbat stated: “The UAE is demonstrating distinctive and sustained development in its tourism sector, incomes prime world rankings for competitiveness. Concurrently, for the fourth consecutive 12 months, the UAE has maintained its primary world rating for entrepreneurship, in keeping with the World Entrepreneurship Monitor report.
“In the present day we’re investing on this standing, utilizing the speedy enlargement of our tourism trade as a catalyst for youth entrepreneurship. On the similar time, we leverage innovation and entrepreneurship to drive development throughout the tourism sector.”
He highlighted the position of SMEs, which contribute 63.5 per cent of non-oil GDP and characterize 95 per cent of firms nationwide, supported by AED8.7bn ($2.4bn) in funding by means of the Tasks of the 50 initiatives.
The Ministry referred to as on stakeholders to align efforts all through the marketing campaign to maximise the synergy between tourism and entrepreneurship, positioning them as twin pillars of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ imaginative and prescient and reinforcing the nation’s standing as a worldwide hub for the brand new financial system.
