Abu Dhabi targets Indian tourists with free UAE visa offer

Abu Dhabi has begun covering the cost of UAE entry visas for some Indian tourists, offering the benefit to as many as 20,000 travelers under a three-month program aimed at its largest overseas tourism market.

The initiative, launched by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, or DCT Abu Dhabi, runs from 1 August through 31 October 2026. Indian passport holders can receive a UAE entry visa at no additional cost if they book an eligible Abu Dhabi holiday through a participating travel agency or online travel platform.

It is not a broader visa-free entry program for Indian citizens. Travelers must still obtain a UAE entry visa. DCT Abu Dhabi is effectively paying the visa charge for people whose bookings meet the program’s conditions.

To qualify, a traveler must hold an Indian passport, depart from India and book through a participating travel partner or online travel agency. The package must include at least three consecutive nights at a hotel in Abu Dhabi and a return flight from India. Travelers cannot independently apply for the subsidy.

The visa normally costs AED285, or about $77, per person. If all 20,000 visas available under the initial program are used, DCT Abu Dhabi would cover AED5.7 million, or roughly $1.5 million, in visa costs.

Travel companies have two ways to process eligible visas. Those working through a destination management company appointed by DCT Abu Dhabi can have the department pay the visa cost directly. Companies using their existing destination management partners can instead receive an AED285 reimbursement for each qualifying visa issued.

“India continues to be one of our most important international markets, and we remain committed to working closely with our travel partners to make Abu Dhabi even more accessible for Indian travelers,” Abdulla Yousuf, DCT Abu Dhabi’s director of international operations, said.

The promotion comes as Abu Dhabi steps up efforts to draw more Indian visitors and, rather conveniently for the hotel industry, encourage them to stay rather than merely change planes.

India was Abu Dhabi’s largest international hotel market in 2025. The emirate recorded 436,124 hotel guests from India, accounting for 13% of the total and rising 22% from a year earlier, according to official figures. DCT attributed part of that increase to expanded air links, including three new IndiGo routes and an Air India Express service.

Overall, Abu Dhabi received 5.9 million hotel guests in 2025, while total visitor numbers reached a record 26.6 million. International hotel guests increased 10%. Hotel revenue rose 19.5% to AED9.1 billion.

The emirate is pursuing a Tourism Strategy 2030 that targets 39.3 million annual visitors and AED90 billion in annual economic contribution from tourism by the end of the decade.