UAE (Washington
Insider) – The UAE launched the 6th “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign on
December 16, 2025, promoting entrepreneurship, local SMEs, and eco-tourism.
Since 2020, it generated AED 6 billion, says Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri.
As Mariam Khan reported on Connecting Travel, the United Arab Emirates has launched the 6th edition of its “World’s Coolest Winter”
campaign. The event runs for 6 weeks from December 16, 2025. This year’s
campaign is called
“Our Winter is Entrepreneurial”.
It focuses on the role of
startups and small businesses in the UAE’s tourism sector.
The campaign highlights the use of local products and
services in tourist destinations across all 7 emirates. Officials noted that it
also promotes eco-friendly tourism and encourages visitors to engage in
authentic experiences. Officials say the campaign supports investment in
tourism projects nationwide.
How is the UAE’s “World’s Coolest Winter” driving AED 6B
tourism growth?
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism,
said the initiative strengthens the tourism economy and gives small businesses
a platform to grow.
“In this sixth edition, the campaign will place a
spotlight on entrepreneurship, showcasing the UAE tourism sector’s vast
potential for innovation and globally unique experiences, while supporting
Emirati entrepreneurs who are shaping this promising sector,”
added Bin Touq.
The UAE’s “World’s Coolest Winter” campaign is part of the
country’s Domestic Tourism Strategy and supports
the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031. The strategy aims to attract AED 100 billion in
new investments and bring in 40 million visitors. Tourism remains a key part of
the UAE economy.
In 2024, the UAE’s tourism and hospitality industry added
AED 257.3 billion to the national economy (about 13% of the total) while
continuing to grow. In the first 10 months of 2026, over 26 million visitors
have stayed in hotels across the nation.
Hotel room capacity was up 4.5% compared with last year,
with an average occupancy of 78%. With more than AED6 billion generated in
hotel bookings since its inception in 2020, the campaign has seen an increase
of 90% in revenue from its first to fifth editions, while reaching nearly 1.2
billion people globally.
The UAE is also seeing growing numbers of small and
medium-sized businesses (SMEs) as they continue to grow. By 2022, it is
estimated that more than 60% of non-oil GDP in the UAE will come from SMEs, and
thus SMEs will benefit from the rapidly growing tourism industry.
The UAE is also gaining international and regional
recognition for this. Al Ain was recently designated the Capital of Arab
Tourism for 2026, while Dubai has been nominated to serve as the future global
headquarters for the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
