Fever; UAE’s tourism inflow drives the MENAa’s leisure and entertainment rise

Fever; UAE’s tourism inflow drives the MENAa’s leisure and entertainment rise

- KSA is the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination

- MENA’s L&E sector generates approximately AED 30 billion in revenue

Dubai, UAE: Fever, the leading global live-entertainment discovery platform, cites that the UAE’s target of attracting 40 million tourist visits by 2030, and its subsequent economic contribution of AED 450 billion ($123 billion) to the country’s national GDP[1], will further boost the leisure and entertainment (L&E) sectors of both the nation and the region.

The L&E sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) currently generates approximately AED 30 billion ($8.2 billion)[2] in revenue. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia (KSA), among others in the Middle East, have invested heavily in tourism infrastructure and marketing campaigns to attract tourists from all over the world and this has elevated the region’s stature to become a globally renowned touristic destination.

The UAE is seeing its efforts bear fruit in recent years as it was named the world’s top destination in 2022 for international traveller expenditure. The country raked in approximately AED 108 billion ($29.42 billion), nearly doubling Doha’s AED 62 billion ($16.79 billion). The UAE’s momentum holds steady as it welcomed 4.7 million tourists in the first quarter of 2023[3].

After being ranked 13th globally as