Abu Dhabi [UAE], May 4 (ANI/WAM): During a European tour that included Spain and Croatia, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, met with Tonci Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Croatia; and Rosario Sanchez Grau, Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, with the aim of enhancing cooperation in the sector. As part of the discussions, the ministers exchanged the latest experiences and practices in the field of sustainable tourism development.

Bin Touq expressed the UAE's desire to enhance cooperation with European markets and foster fruitful partnerships in various tourism sub-sectors and activities, thereby supporting overall economic development and creating new opportunities for shared prosperity.

He pointed out that the tourism sector in the UAE has undergone significant development, characterised by the adoption of forward-looking national initiatives; the establishment of distinguished tourism infrastructure in line with global best practices; the development of leading destinations and tourism products, and an increase in tourist inflows.

Bin Touq said, 'The UAE continues to support initiatives and projects aimed at sustaining global tourism growth, fostering collaboration with the UN Tourism and its member states, and expanding cooperation in various tourism sub-sectors.'

During discussions with the tourism ministers of Spain and Croatia, Bin Touq highlighted the importance of the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 and its key role in supporting the sustainability and competitiveness of the country's tourism sector over the next decade.

The strategy has established a set of national objectives, which include elevating the UAE's status to become a leading global destination, increasing the sector's contribution to the national GDP to AED 450 billion, attracting tourism investments worth AED 100 billion to the country's markets, and welcoming 40 million guests by the year 2031.

The Minister of Economy reviewed key performance indicators of the UAE tourism sector, which include a total of AED 45 billion in hotel revenues in 2024 with a three per cent year-over-year growth. The hotel occupancy rate in the country reached 78%, which is among the highest regionally and globally. Additionally, 16 new hotels were launched across the UAE in 2024, taking the total number of hotels to 1,251 by the end of last year.

During his meeting with Rosario Sanchez Grau, Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Bin Touq reviewed latest developments in the global tourism sector, the mechanisms to enable sustainable growth, as well as enhancing cooperation in various tourism fields. The two sides explored the potential for establishing new partnerships to increase mutual tourism flows.

The number of Spanish tourists to the UAE reached 150,231 in 2024, representing an increase of more than 14% compared to that of 2023. The number of flights between the UAE and Spain amount to approximately 48 weekly services, operated by airlines of both countries.

Bin Touq and Tonci Glavina discussed enhancing cooperation between tourism companies and entities in the UAE and Croatian markets, in addition to enhancing joint efforts to create new tourism and leisure programs to promote mutual tourism flows. There are currently more than 42 monthly flights between the UAE and Croatia, operated by the airlines of both countries. (ANI/WAM)