RIYADH: The UAE’s hospitality sector continues to show robust growth, with hotel establishments welcoming more than 16.1 million guests in the first six months of 2025, marking a 5.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year, the Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported, citing Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al-Marri.
Speaking at the third meeting of the Hospitality Advisory Council for 2025, Al-Marri highlighted the sector’s strong performance as a testament to its resilience and competitiveness.
“Thanks to the wise leadership’s directives, our hospitality sector continues to achieve increasing growth rates, reflecting its attractiveness at both regional and global levels,” he said.
The council, which included representatives from both public and private sectors as well as directors of major national and international hotel chains, reviewed key performance indicators for the first half of the year and discussed initiatives to further develop the industry.
Data presented during the meeting showed that the total number of hotel nights reached 56 million, a 7.3 percent increase over H1 2024. The average length of stay was 3.5 nights, with 1,243 hotel establishments in the UAE offering more than 216,000 rooms.
Al-Marri emphasized that the sector’s success is the result of close public-private sector collaboration, which underpins the sustainability and competitiveness of the UAE’s tourism landscape.
UAE hotels welcome over 16m guests in H1
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UAE hotels welcome over 16m guests in H1
Oman airport passenger traffic rises 2.8% in 2025
RIYADH: Passenger traffic through airports in Oman increased by 2.8 percent in 2025, reaching 14.9 million travelers by the end of December, up from 14.5 million passengers a year earlier, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information and reported by Oman News Agency.
Despite the rise in passenger volumes, total flight movements across the country’s airports declined by 2.8 percent to 104,510 flights in 2025, compared with 107,546 flights during the same period in 2024, indicating higher load factors and network optimization by airlines.
At Muscat International Airport, international flights fell by 4.5 percent to 82,913 in 2025 from 86,797 a year earlier. Nevertheless, international passenger numbers rose by 1.3 percent to 11.8 million, compared with 11.6 million in 2024. Domestic activity at Muscat showed stronger momentum, with flights increasing 6.6 percent to 9,606 from 9,009, while domestic passenger numbers climbed 12 percent to 1.3 million, up from 1.1 million.
At Salalah Airport, international flights declined 2.4 percent to 4,886 in 2025, compared with 5,008 in 2024. International passenger numbers remained broadly stable at 678,591, slightly higher than 678,402 a year earlier. Domestic operations recorded robust growth, with flights rising 14.3 percent to 6,227 from 5,450 and passenger numbers increasing 17.7 percent to 1,023,529, up from 869,954.
Sohar Airport saw a sharp contraction in international traffic, as flights dropped 77.8 percent to 110 in 2025 from 495 in 2024. International passenger numbers plunged 99.1 percent to 390 travelers, compared with 44,897 a year earlier. Domestic flights at Sohar declined 9.1 percent to 150 from 165, while passenger numbers fell 21.8 percent to 18,247, down from 23,331.
At Duqm Airport, domestic flights edged down 0.6 percent to 618 in 2025 from 622 in 2024. Passenger numbers slipped marginally by 0.4 percent to 60,893, compared with 61,137 the previous year.
Overall, the figures reflect steady growth in passenger demand across Oman’s main airports, driven largely by domestic travel, even as airlines reduced flight frequencies during the year.
