More than six million foreign and Arab tourists visited the UAE last year

The UAE attracted some 6.4 million foreign and Arab tourists last year, a significant rise against the 2005 figures which stood at 6.1 million. According to Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Economy, the tourism sector in the UAE showed a steady growth during the last couple of years."Investments in the tourism sector accounted for 10 per cent of the total investment in the UAE in 2005. That is, Dhs. 32 billion as compared to more than Dhs.39 billion in 2006", said Sheikha Lubna in a forward to the Fourth Edition of the UAE Tourism Guide, a publication of the Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Sheikha Lubna hailed the strong performance showed by the tourism industry, saying that tourism had become a major component in the national economy. As revenues from the tourism sector continue to soar, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), predicted that travel and tourism in the UAE will generate USD 33920.0 million of economic activity in 2007 (Total Demand).UAE's Travel & Tourism Economy (direct and indirect impact) in 2007 is expected to account for 11.9% of GDP and 348000 jobs (11.3% of total employment). According to WTTC forecast, UAE's Travel & Tourism is expected to grow by 9.5% in 2007 and by 4.9% per annum, in real terms.In terms of employment, Sheikha Lubna said the hospitality sector offered 127,000 jobs in 2005 and that this number is excepted to increase to 205, jobs in 2015. Source