The UAE topped the Middle East and North Africa in the Tourism Visa Openness Index for the year 2023, prepared by the United Nations Tourism Organization. The UAE scored 67.80 points on the general index.
The Middle East region has made important progress in visa facilitation. In 2015, a significant 71% of the world’s population needed to secure a traditional visa before visiting the Middle East.
By May 2023, this figure reduced to 57%. At the same time, the provision of eVisas rose from 10% in 2015 to 15% in 2023. Moreover, the percentage of the world’s population eligible for
a visa on arrival increased from 17% to 24% over the same period.
It is noteworthy that the contribution of the tourism and travel sector to the gross domestic product in UAE increased by 60.2% during the year 2022, reaching approximately 167 billion dirhams, and its contribution by the end of 2023 reached approximately 180.6 billion dirhams, a growth of 8.3% over the year 2022.