Speaking at the inaugural UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit in Dubai on 27 October, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri announced an investment-mapping platform featuring US$6 billion worth of tourism, aviation and digital-infrastructure projects across multiple African states.
The mapping exercise will guide Emirati sovereign funds and private investors to pipeline projects—airports, hotel clusters, e-visa systems and border digitalisation—designed to create 70 000 jobs and deepen two-way visitor flows. Between 2019 and 2023 the UAE channelled more than US$110 billion into Africa, with tourism now joining renewable energy and logistics as a priority sector.
Why it matters for global mobility: stronger UAE capital stakes in African airports typically accelerate bilateral air-service-agreement negotiations, leading to new routes and, in several cases, visa-on-arrival facilities for UAE nationals. Examples include recent Etihad and Emirates expansions into Nairobi and Zanzibar following Emirati airport concessions.
For multinationals managing assignments in Africa, the project list—expected to go live in Q1 2026—offers clues to which secondary cities will gain direct Gulf links and improved border-processing technology. Mobility professionals should monitor host-country regulatory updates; some governments may introduce long-stay digital-nomad or investor visas bundled with UAE-funded tech platforms.
The summit also heard an outlook from UNWTO Secretary-General-Elect Shaikha Nasser Al-Nowais: global tourism GDP is forecast to hit US$11.7 trillion in 2025—up 13 percent on 2019—underscoring the sector’s rebound and the strategic value of cross-regional investment.
The mapping exercise will guide Emirati sovereign funds and private investors to pipeline projects—airports, hotel clusters, e-visa systems and border digitalisation—designed to create 70 000 jobs and deepen two-way visitor flows. Between 2019 and 2023 the UAE channelled more than US$110 billion into Africa, with tourism now joining renewable energy and logistics as a priority sector.
Why it matters for global mobility: stronger UAE capital stakes in African airports typically accelerate bilateral air-service-agreement negotiations, leading to new routes and, in several cases, visa-on-arrival facilities for UAE nationals. Examples include recent Etihad and Emirates expansions into Nairobi and Zanzibar following Emirati airport concessions.
For multinationals managing assignments in Africa, the project list—expected to go live in Q1 2026—offers clues to which secondary cities will gain direct Gulf links and improved border-processing technology. Mobility professionals should monitor host-country regulatory updates; some governments may introduce long-stay digital-nomad or investor visas bundled with UAE-funded tech platforms.
The summit also heard an outlook from UNWTO Secretary-General-Elect Shaikha Nasser Al-Nowais: global tourism GDP is forecast to hit US$11.7 trillion in 2025—up 13 percent on 2019—underscoring the sector’s rebound and the strategic value of cross-regional investment.
