UAE Tourism Expansion Gets $5B Boost From Major Projects

The UAE strengthens its tourism infrastructure with major investments including the $1.7 billion Sphere Abu Dhabi, Miral’s $3.3 billion Yas Island expansion and new hospitality developments across Dubai.

The UAE continues to expand its tourism and hospitality infrastructure through a series of major investments across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The development pipeline includes the $1.7 billion Sphere Abu Dhabi, a $3.3 billion five-year investment programme by Miral on Yas Island and several large-scale residential, hotel and entertainment projects across the country.

Sphere Abu Dhabi represents one of the most significant upcoming entertainment projects in the UAE. Developed by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and Sphere Entertainment, the venue carries a construction cost of $1.7 billion and is planned between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2029.

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The venue is planned with capacity for up to 20,000 people and is expected to host immersive productions, concert residencies, conferences, brand events and other large-scale programmes. It also becomes the first Sphere venue outside the United States, adding a new international attraction to Abu Dhabi’s tourism offering.

Meanwhile, Miral plans to invest Dh12 billion, equivalent to about $3.26 billion, over five years to expand Yas Island’s hospitality and entertainment infrastructure. The programme includes a 250-room expansion of the Warner Bros. hotel and a new lifestyle hotel at Yas Bay. Miral also plans to increase the island’s hotel room inventory by approximately 35% during the period.

The wider expansion includes new attractions and rides at existing theme parks. A Harry Potter-themed expansion at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and new experiences at Ferrari World are planned as part of the development programme, with these attractions scheduled for 2029.

Yas Island is also witnessing substantial residential and mixed-use development. Recent reporting places the island’s disclosed development and investment pipeline at more than Dh30 billion, covering Miral’s investment programme, Aldar’s Yas Point, THE WADI development and Sphere Abu Dhabi. The figure does not include the development cost of the planned Disneyland Abu Dhabi project, which has not been disclosed.

The expansion comes as the UAE strengthens its broader tourism proposition. The country recently introduces the Visit UAE identity and UAE Grand Tour, offering multi-emirate itineraries designed to encourage visitors to experience destinations across all seven emirates.

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Dubai also remains a major contributor to the country's hospitality activity. Hotel occupancy in Dubai reaches 66% in August 2026, while tourism demand across the UAE shows continued growth in flights, hotel bookings and attractions during the first half of the year.

Together, these investments reflect the UAE's continued development of tourism infrastructure across entertainment, hospitality, residential and visitor experiences. The combination of large-scale attractions, new hotels and integrated destinations is expanding the country's tourism capacity while strengthening its position as a multi-market travel and entertainment hub.