This statistic describes the direct tourism contribution to the gross domestic product of countries in the Middle East and Africa in 2016, by city. During this time period, the direct tourism contribution of Dubai to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates was about 11.4 billion U.S. dollars.

As of 2023, the United Arab Emirates led the Middle East region with international tourism receipts worth nearly ** billion U.S. dollars. The entire Middle East region's international tourism receipts were valued at over ***** billion U.S. dollars. UAE tourism   The average daily fee of hotels in the emirate of Dubai in 2020 was *** U.S. dollars, while that in Abu Dhabi was ** U.S. dollars. Dubai is the emirate with the highest number of international visitors in the country. It is well-known for its high-end shopping, vibrant nightlife, and modern architecture. It is home to numerous world-class man-made attractions, including the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Fountain, Atlantis City, and the Palm resort. The UAE was classified as the most competitive tourist destination in the MENA area in 2018 by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI). After adjusting for the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector's gross domestic product share in the UAE was predicted to be about **** percent by 2025 with more than ** million tourists expected to visit the country. UAE economy The UAE's economy saw a severe drop in real GDP growth in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, although it was projected to recover gradually over the next few years. The country has taken a significant hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This is attributable not just to the impact of low oil prices, but also to significant losses in non-oil economic areas such as tourism. The wholesale and retail business will be the greatest contributor to Dubai's GDP in 2021. The central bank predicted that the economy will fully recover in 2022. Greenfield projects accounted for the biggest share of announced foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the emirate of Dubai in 2020.

In 2023, Dubai was a popular destination for Indian travelers. More than *********** visitors arrived in the city from India. Compared to previous years, the number of international tourists arriving in UAE declined in 2020, totaling roughly ************* people. However, it has since bounced back, with over ********** visitors in 2023. COVID-19 recovery In the United Arab Emirates, ** percent of respondents were optimistic about recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic by 2021. By March 2021, the United Arab Emirates had conducted around **** million COVID-19 tests. The tourism industry's GDP share in the United Arab Emirates was forecasted to reach ** percent by 2025. The projection has been modified to account for the anticipated impact of COVID-19. GDP contribution and economy By 2028, the direct tourism contribution to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates was forecast to reach almost *** billion U.S. dollars. With a Global Financial Centre’s Index score of *** points in 2020, Dubai was the most appealing financial hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Furthermore, the wholesale and retail sector remained the largest contributor to the GDP of the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, the financial services and insurance, and transportation and storage sectors followed.

At **** U.S. dollars, Switzerland has the most expensive Big Macs in the world, according to the January 2025 Big Mac index. Concurrently, the cost of a Big Mac was **** dollars in the U.S., and **** U.S. dollars in the Euro area. What is the Big Mac index? The Big Mac index, published by The Economist, is a novel way of measuring whether the market exchange rates for different countries’ currencies are overvalued or undervalued. It does this by measuring each currency against a common standard – the Big Mac hamburger sold by McDonald’s restaurants all over the world. Twice a year the Economist converts the average national price of a Big Mac into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at that point in time. As a Big Mac is a completely standardized product across the world, the argument goes that it should have the same relative cost in every country. Differences in the cost of a Big Mac expressed as U.S. dollars therefore reflect differences in the purchasing power of each currency. Is the Big Mac index a good measure of purchasing power parity? Purchasing power parity (PPP) is the idea that items should cost the same in different countries, based on the exchange rate at that time. This relationship does not hold in practice. Factors like tax rates, wage regulations, whether components need to be imported, and the level of market competition all contribute to price variations between countries. The Big Mac index does measure this basic point – that one U.S. dollar can buy more in some countries than others. There are more accurate ways to measure differences in PPP though, which convert a larger range of products into their dollar price. Adjusting for PPP can have a massive effect on how we understand a country’s economy. The country with the largest GDP adjusted for PPP is China, but when looking at the unadjusted GDP of different countries, the U.S. has the largest economy.