Best Travel and Hospitality Companies in United Arab Emirates
The 181 best Travel and Hospitality companies in United Arab Emirates in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Etihad Airways.
Ranked by disclosed equity funding and recent momentum, the 181 Travel and Hospitality companies tracked in the United Arab Emirates have pulled in $2.5B in total disclosed capital, and the spread tells you everything. Etihad Airways sits at $1.9B, Flydubai at $500M, and the rest of the field is fighting for scraps well below $40M. That's not a crisis, it's concentration, and it's pretty typical for a Gulf market where sovereign-linked investors like ADQ and Investment Corporation of Dubai write the big checks. The global sector was valued at roughly $889.7B in 2020 and is forecast to reach $1.7T by 2025 at a 14.2% CAGR, which makes UAE's capital stack look appropriately ambitious.
So what's moving right now? App installs across hospitality and travel categories are up a median 19% year-on-year across 614 tracked apps, which lines up with what mobile-first travel brands are prioritizing this cycle. I'd also flag an odd sector-trend signal: severe and extreme weather advisories are emerging as a real product theme, not just a footnote, as operators build resilience into guest experience. Evolving guest expectations are pushing that further, fast. No unicorns yet in this directory, but the funding momentum and mobile penetration suggest that gap won't last forever.
Ranked: Best Travel and Hospitality companies in United Arab Emirates
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Market signals (1y) | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etihad Airways Operator of passenger airlines | $1.9B | 56 mo ago | Funding Raised | Tony Douglas CEO | 2003 | Amazon WebstoreAdobe Experience ManagerJava+33 | 135 signals Announcements · Earnings · Contracts | 1 expansion |
| 2 | Flydubai Provider of affordable air travel and related services | $500M | 79 mo ago | Funding Raised | Ghaith Ghaith CEO | 2008 | SkolengoApple iCloud MailNode.js+32 | 77 signals ▲175% Announcements · Contracts · Acquisition | 1 job opening · 1 internship · 3 expansions |
| 3 | Sunset Hospitality Group Operator of standalone hotel | $35M | 13 mo ago | Series C | Serge Dfouni Co-Founder | 2011 | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+15 | — | 1 job opening · 1 award |
| 4 | Qstay Operator of hotels | $11M | 24 mo ago | Seed | Artur Khayrullin Founder | 2020 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Maison Privee Operator of hotel | $4M | 96 mo ago | Series A | Paul Mallee Co-Founder & MD | 2017 | WixSentryBootstrap+21 | — | 1 partnership · 1 award |
| 6 | Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services | — | 12 mo ago | Funding Raised | Firoz Tarapore CEO | 1985 | WordPressApple iCloud MailMySQL+25 | 29 signals Contracts · Earnings · M&A | 1 partnership |
| 7 | Fairmont Chains providing luxury accommodations, dining, and event hosting services | — | 66 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1907 | Cart FunctionalityAdobe Experience ManagerApple iCloud Mail+12 | — | 2 awards |
| 8 | Travelini Dubai-based travel agency | — | 96 mo ago | Deadpooled | Justina Justina Founder & CEO | 2018 | — | — | — |
Top 10 Travel and Hospitality companies in United Arab Emirates
#1
Series C · Dubai, Dubai · founded 2011$35Mraised▾
Operator of standalone hotel
- Apr 2025Series C$28.7M
- Oct 2022Series C$35M
#2
Funding Raised · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi · founded 2003 · 175 employees$1.9Braised▾
Operator of passenger airlines
- Oct 2021Conventional Debt$1.2B
- Oct 2020Conventional Debt$600M
- 2019Conventional Debt$112.3M
#3
Seed · Dubai, Dubai · founded 2020$11.1Mraised▾
Operator of a virtual hospitality platform intended to offer luxury properties for vacation. The company's platform provides rentals that combine the service and convenience of a premium hotel with the privacy and comfort of a home that is backed by premium standards and supported with extensive services, including free access to the facilities of the best 5-star beach resorts, enabling tourists to experience a great and memorable stay through technology and design.
- Jun 2024Seed$4.6M
- Jun 2024Conventional Debt—
- Jul 2022Conventional Debt—
- Jul 2022Seed$6.5M
#4
Funding Raised · Dubai, Dubai · founded 2008 · 5300 employees$500Mraised▾
Provider of affordable air travel and related services. This company offers booking and management of flights, including add-ons such as baggage, meals, and seat selection. They also provide access to business class upgrades, online check-in, and various additional services like hotel and car rentals. The company operates a loyalty program and offers cargo services. Their services encompass various aspects of air travel planning and execution, aiming for a cost-effective and convenient experience for passengers. They also offer holiday packages combining flights and hotels.
- Nov 2019Conventional Debt$500M
#5
Series A · Dubai, Dubai · founded 2017 · 85 employees$4Mraised▾
Operator of hotel
- 2018Series A$4M
#6
Funding Raised · Dubai, Dubai · founded 1985 · 241 employees—raised▾
Provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services
#7
Acquired · Dubai, Dubai · founded 1907 · 546 employees—raised▾
Chains providing luxury accommodations, dining, and event hosting services. The company offers hotel stays, restaurants, bars, cafes, and breakfast options. It provides venues for meetings, conferences, weddings, and social events. The company also offers experiences such as wellness, skiing, and golf.
#8
Deadpooled · Dubai, Dubai · founded 2018—raised▾
Developer of a digital travel platform designed to provide seamless travel experiences. The company's platform offers travel inspiration and all kinds of assistance in planning and booking travels, enabling users to enjoy traveling in a hassle-free and convenient manner.
- 2018Seed—
#9
Funding Raised · United Arab Emirates · founded 1996 · 2235 employees—raised▾
Operator of a passenger airline providing international flight and travel services. The airline offers various booking options for flights, hotels, tours, and transportation. It provides services such as flight management, online check-in, and flight status updates. The airline also offers a loyalty program and travel information, including baggage details, visa requirements, and health guidelines.
#10
Public · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi · founded 1975—raised▾
Abu Dhabi National Hotels is a hospitality group that encompasses hotels, restaurants, destination management services, catering and transportation. ADNH owns many reputable and recognizable hotels,including The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal; Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas; Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort; Le Meridien Abu Dhabi; Hilton Abu Dhabi; Hilton Al Ain; Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach. ADNH’s other hospitality divisions include Al Ghazal Transport and ADNH Compass
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Travel and Hospitality coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.