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Al Ain Named Arab Tourism Capital 2026
Al Ain, UAE: Al Ain is officially designated as the Arab Tourism Capital in 2026 which will be a major breakthrough in the history of the United Arab Emirates as it consolidates its role as a world tourism powerhouse. The announcement was made at the 28thmeeting of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism that was held in Baghdad, Iraq, and high-level UAE delegations took part in the meeting to accept the high-ranking recognition of the Emirati city.
Among the officials who attended was Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, who was the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and headed the UAE. Their presence in the discussions highlighted how much the country was interested in regional integration and the development of tourism in the Arab world.
For UAE, Al Ain was chosen as the Arab Tourism Capital 2026 – not just an honor of symbolic importance, but also the strategic development of the tourism sector of the country, where the visionary leadership and the long-term planning are the driving forces. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism said the name is a milestone that should be recorded as a marker for the qualitative development that has been realized within the strategic vision of the country. He also stated that the title enhances the strength of the UAE in the international tourism map and goes in line with the objectives of the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 that targets to attract 40 million hotel guests and increase tourism contribution to the national economy to AED 450 billion by 2031.
Another point of the recognition is the cultural and natural heritage of Al Ain which is mixture of authenticity, history and a sense of innovation. According to Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, the Director General of Tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the genuine cultural sites, natural sceneries and inspirational attractions in the city were the main factors that influenced its selection. The award will follow the previous reputation of Al Ain as the Capital of the Gulf Tourism in 2025 because it will be underlining its increasing attractiveness to local and international tourists.
Besides these tourism awards, the tourism industry of the UAE is making waves in the global front. The industry generated AED 257.3 billion towards the National GDP in 2024 representing 13 percent of the economy, a good sign of the critical role of tourism in the diversification of the economy. Other recent accomplishments are the election of Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais as Secretary-General of UN Tourism 2026-2029 and the nomination of Masfout Village in Ajman as the Best Tourism Village in the World for 2025.
Other aspects such as the medical tourism cooperation, joint development of tourism products, and capacity building of the industry were also discussed during the Council meeting that formed the base on which the further cooperation of the Arab world can be provided.