The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached approximately AED3.8 trillion ($1.03 trillion) in 2025, recording growth of 27% compared to 2024 and 44.3% compared to 2023. It also achieved growth of 65% and 97.4% compared to 2022 and 2021 respectively, exceeding twice the level of 2019.
Etihad Rail, the developer of the UAE National Railway Network, has joined hands with IronLev, a high-tech Italian company, to launch a first-of-its-kind magnetic levitation trial in the Middle East, thus introducing a new vision for the future of sustainable rail transport in the region.
The Global Wellness Institute reports that the largest wellness markets and standout five-year growth leaders include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico, Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, the US, and Australia, according to its annual Country Rankings report covering wellness data from 145 countries worldwide.
McDermott, a leading provider of engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry, has announced that it has secured a major EPCI contract (in the range of $750 million to $1 billion) from Adnoc for its Nasr-115 Expansion Project, located 130km northwest of Abu Dhabi.
ONE Development has awarded the main construction contract for its flagship residential project - Laguna - featuring iconic twin towers connected by the UAE’s largest podium-level lagoon. A fully AI-integrated residential community in Dubai, it brings a mix of open space, residential living and 40 key amenities.
Abdullah Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, emphasised enhancing cooperation and partnerships with UN Tourism, exchanging expertise across tourism sectors. He made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nowais at FITUR Madrid 2026.
Abdullah Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, held bilateral meetings with tourism officials from Brazil, Portugal, Azerbaijan, and Argentina to strengthen cooperation, promote sustainable tourism, exchange expertise, and advance partnerships toward more developed and prosperous levels in the global tourism sector.
The UAE continues to consolidate its advanced model for building smart cities, underpinned by wide-ranging strategic investments, most notably in data centres, which form the operational backbone of smart urban systems and knowledge-based digital economy, said an industry expert.
UAE's hotel revenues for the 11-month period from January to November 2025 rose to AED44.4 billion ($12 billion), up 8.8% over the previous year, said a report. This was mainly driven by a spurt in the number of hotel guests which soared to 29.1 million, while guest nights exceeded 99.4 million.
After years of bold ambition and heavy investment, artificial intelligence adoption in both Saudi Arabia and UAE is entering a more performance-driven phase amid reports that AI could contribute $135 billion to the kingdom’s economy and $96 billion to the emirates' economy by 2030, said an expert.
