emirates7 - Ramadan 2025 has marked a significant shift in how global travellers engage with the UAE, with new insights from Visa showing a 6% year-on-year rise in visitors and notable changes in traveller demographics and spending habits.

Visa’s Travel Pulse Q1-2025 report, released ahead of the Arabian Travel Market, highlighted a surprising surge in spending from emerging markets. Visitors from Azerbaijan saw an impressive 111% increase in spending, followed by Tajikistan at 81% and Kyrgyzstan at 62%.

The report also revealed that mid-market travellers (those with non-premium Visa cards) represented the largest group during Ramadan, contributing 45% of the total international spending, up from 41% in non-Ramadan periods.

The visitor mix is diversifying, with a rise in tourism from Central and Eastern Europe. Countries like the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, and Germany saw notable increases in visitor numbers, ranging from 44% to 86%, indicating a shift in the UAE’s traditional tourist profile.

Salima Gutieva, Visa’s VP and Country Manager for the UAE, remarked, "Ramadan used to be a quieter period for travel, but the data we're seeing now tells a different story. The UAE is attracting new visitors with different spending habits and preferences, reflecting changes in economic conditions and how long visitors stay and what they spend."