Visa Insights Reveal Winter Spending in United Arab Emirates Grows 30%

Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today released its latest consumer spending insights for the 2025 winter holiday period in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), based on the Visa Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor. The data shows a 30% year-over-year increase in winter spending on Visa premium consumer cards, reflected in more staycations, increased travel activity, and higher dining and leisure spend.

Highlights of the seasonal spending trends from the month of December 2025 include: Inbound Travel Spending by international visitors (using Visa premium cards) to the UAE increased, with visitors from Europe — particularly the UK, France, Germany, and Poland — rose ~50%. Meanwhile, spending by visitors from Asia (Thailand, Philippines) and Latin America (Brazil, Puerto Rico) increased over 145%.

Outbound Travel Complementing inbound activity, international travel spending from the UAE on Visa premium consumer cards increased ~35%. Travel to Asian destinations — namely Thailand, Japan, and China — increased by over 75%. Booking patterns also varied, with most travelers (75%) booking within a month of travel and 25% planning 1-6 months in advance. In addition, dining and leisure spending grew ~45% among outbound travelers using Visa premium cards.

Local Spending While international travel saw sustained growth, domestic spending in the UAE among Visa premium cardholders remained strong, with staycations up ~35% and luxury retail purchases, including apparel, cosmetics, jewelry, and precious stones, rising 35%. F1 Weekend During the F1 race weekend in Abu Dhabi between December 5-7, spending by visitors from Europe (Visa premium and non-premium cards) grew ~25% compared with over 10% on other December weekends.

Salima Gutieva, Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in UAE, said, “This winter holiday season has seen strong growth in travel, leisure and luxury retail spending, with more travelers choosing the UAE as a destination and residents continuing to enjoy local experiences. These insights present opportunities for businesses to deliver personalized and seamless commerce experiences that meet evolving consumer expectations.”

The VCA Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during the winter holiday season (December 1–31, 2025), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.

Nicolas Khoury, SVP, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, said: “Our VCA Retail Spend Monitor shows how this winter holiday season is shaping consumer behavior across travel and commerce experiences. Insights into spending trends help issuers and merchants design relevant offers and enhance engagement. At Visa Consulting & Analytics, we turn these insights into actionable strategies that help businesses respond effectively to changing behaviors.”