Quebec, with its vast territory and rich natural and cultural heritage, has made sustainable tourism a strategic pillar of economic development. In 2022, the tourism industry represented nearly 2.4% of the province's GDP, with over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs (Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec, 2023). This approach is in line with the political will to reconcile economic growth, social inclusion and respect for the environment.
The Plan d'action pour une industrie touristique responsable et durable 2020-2025 (Action plan for a responsible and sustainable tourism industry 2020-2025), spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism, emphasizes the development of local assets: national parks, historic villages, aboriginal cultures and short supply chains. The plan also integrates decarbonization of the sector, notably through incentives for sustainable mobility and eco-responsible hospitality infrastructures.
Projects such as the Route des Explorateurs and the Bienvenue cyclistes! program illustrate this desire to anchor tourism in the regions, to the benefit of local communities. The boom in winter tourism, glamping and aboriginal holidays is helping to diversify the offering and boost the attractiveness of Quebec's regions.
In 2023, tourism revenues exceeded CAD 12 billion, with sustained growth in regions such as Gaspésie (+9%), Charlevoix (+7%) and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (+6%) (Statistics Canada, 2024). Tourism becomes a catalyst for the circular economy: it stimulates local agriculture, artisans, regional transportation companies and cultural initiatives.
Partnerships such as the one between Tourisme Autochtone Québec and higher education institutions (UQAT, ESG-UQAM) aim to professionalize players in the sector while strengthening local employability, particularly in aboriginal communities. The development of sustainable tourism thus contributes to the economic diversification of remote regions, while preserving their ecological integrity.
In contrast to the Quebec model, the United Arab Emirates has deployed an ambitious tourism strategy, focusing on luxury, major events and innovation. The sector represents around 12% of national GDP, with an estimated contribution of over 47 billion USD by 2023, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. This dynamic is in line with long-term strategic visions: the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to welcome 40 million annual visitors by 2031, while increasing tourism's contribution to GDP by AED 27 billion a year, and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
The Emirates have invested massively in exceptional infrastructures: the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Palace and Expo City Dubai, heir to World Expo 2020. Dubai has established itself as a global tourism hub, welcoming 17.15 million international visitors in 2023, with an average hotel occupancy rate of 77% (Department of Economy and Tourism, 2024).
Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, is focusing on more institutional cultural and educational tourism, hosting events such as Sustainability Week and international conferences in fields such as artificial intelligence and Islamic finance.
Recent projects illustrate the convergence between tourism and sustainability, such as SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, which uses an intelligent air-conditioning system and is largely solar-powered. The city of Masdar, located near Abu Dhabi airport, aims to become an eco-responsible tourist center with zero-emission accommodation and soft mobility systems.
Tourism is integrated into a wider economic ecosystem: aviation (Emirates, Etihad), finance (hotel investments), real estate (Dubai Holding) and technology (smart cities, biometric ticketing, augmented reality customer experience). This interconnection strengthens the economy's resilience to oil cycles, while diversifying sources of revenue.
Dubai has also established itself as the capital of business tourism in the MENA region, hosting over 1,500 conferences and trade shows a year, including GITEX and the Dubai FinTech Summit. This strategic positioning makes it a hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, attracting growing tourist flows, as well as foreign direct investment (FDI) in hotel and event infrastructures.
Although their models differ profoundly, Quebec and the Emirates can benefit from mutual exchanges to build a more resilient, sustainable and diversified tourism industry. This convergence is all the more relevant as both territories seek to enhance their attractiveness, capture international tourism flows and promote values of innovation and quality of life.
Bridges can be built between Tourisme Montréal and Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism to share best practices in sustainable management of tourism flows, digitization of services or social impact assessment.
The Quebec Office in Dubai, active since 2021, could play a facilitating role in fostering bilateral exchanges between tourism operators, event promoters and public policymakers. Likewise, the joint organization of forums (e.g.: Quebec-UAE mission on sustainable tourism) would make it possible to cross-fertilize visions and create synergies.
On the academic front, institutions such as Polytechnique Montréal, UQAM and Université Laval could develop applied research projects in partnership with Emirati establishments such as Zayed University or the Khalifa University Tourism Lab.
These projects could focus on measuring the economic impact of tourism, designing ESG indicators applied to hospitality, or using immersive technologies to develop educational and experiential tourism. This type of collaboration would be in line with the PolyFinances missions, which aim to stimulate knowledge transfer and comparative analysis between regions.
Far from being an incidental sector, tourism is emerging as a pillar of economic transition on a global scale. Quebec and the Emirates illustrate two complementary approaches: the first, based on authenticity, sustainability and inclusion; the second, focused on innovation, prestige and global appeal.
By building on their respective strengths and establishing a structured dialogue, these two territories can not only learn from each other, but also co-construct a renewed vision of tourism. A vision that combines sustainability, economic growth, technological innovation and respect for cultural identities.
As part of the PolyFinances 2025 mission, this strategic alliance feeds into a broader reflection: how can we build resilient, inclusive and profitable tourism models in a rapidly changing world? This question, at the crossroads of economics, geopolitics and the environment, is more than ever at the heart of tomorrow's engineering priorities.
Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec (2023). Annual report 2022-2023 https://alliancetouristique.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1180-aitq-rag-2022-mc14-1-compressed.pdf
Statistics Canada (2024). Tourist spending by region and quarter. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250327/dq250327b-fra.htm?indid=3389-1&indgeo=0
Department of Economy and Tourism (Dubai) (2024). Dubai Tourism Performance Report 2023. https://www.dubaidet.gov.ae/en/research-and-insights/annual-visitor-report-2023
World Travel and Tourism Council (2024). Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2024: United Arab Emirates. https://researchhub.wttc.org/product/united-arab-emirates-economic-impact-report
UAE Government Portal (2023). UAE Tourism Strategy 2031. https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/strategies-plans-and-visions/tourism/uae-tourism-strategy-2031
Quebec Ministry of Tourism (2022). Action plan for a responsible and sustainable tourism industry 2020-2025. https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/tourisme/publications-adm/plan-action/PL-plan-action-tourisme-responsable-durable.pdf
UNWTO. (2024). Measuring Sustainability in Tourism. https://www.unwto.org/tourism-statistics/measuring-sustainability-tourism