Dubai welcomed 9.31 million international overnight visitors from January to June 2024, a 9 per cent increase over the 8.55 million tourist arrivals in the first half of 2023, according to data published by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
Following a landmark 2023, when the city hosted 17.15 million international overnight visitors, Dubai has continued to sustain its strong tourism momentum. The growth in the first six months of this year puts the city on track for a record performance in 2024.
Guided by the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and driven by DET’s efforts in collaboration with stakeholders, the rise in international visitation aligns with the ambitious goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global destination for business and leisure.
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said, “Guided by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s strategic vision, Dubai’s tourism sector continues to demonstrate its robust growth potential and attractive proposition for global travellers. With its sustained growth, Dubai is setting the standard for cities worldwide, in line with the objective of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to establish Dubai as one of the world’s top urban economies. His Highness urged all industry stakeholders to expand partnerships with key markets, explore new opportunities and work to enhance Dubai’s value offering by creating rich and memorable experiences.”
“The strong tourism growth achieved by Dubai in the first half of 2024 is testament to the city’s ability to foster productive public-private partnerships and build extensive global networks of collaboration. With every year, Dubai continues to consolidate its status as a frontrunner in the global tourism landscape and grow in popularity as an international destination. We remain committed to maintaining this successful trajectory and boosting the tourism sector’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP. By further developing our infrastructure and providing exceptional services for visitors, we aim to set new benchmarks and records in 2024,” Sheikh Hamdan added.
Global accolades and industry events
The rise in international visitation during H1 2024 is the result of citywide strategies established across key tourism pillars, created and implemented in partnership with stakeholders across the public and private sectors. Beyond the growth demonstrated through the performance, these efforts also yielded international recognition.
Starting 2024 on a high note, Dubai was named the No.1 global destination for an unprecedented third successive year in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards in January, making it the first city to achieve this unique accolade. The first half of the year also saw Dubai named the Middle East’s leading destination by the World Travel Awards, while Dubai International Airport and Mina Rashid were named the Middle East’s leading airport and leading cruise port for 2024 respectively.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of DET, said, “The significant increase in visitation numbers in the first half of 2024 reflects the vision and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and aligns with the D33 Agenda’s objective to make Dubai the world’s best city to visit, live, and work in. This robust performance, reinforced by global recognition, validates the ambition and agility driving Dubai’s tourism and wider economy. Our success stems from a diversified market approach, strong public-private partnerships, liberal visa policies, and alternative growth pathways, all catalysts for the continued surge in both leisure and business visitation, along with increasing levels of investment and inflows of global talent. Looking ahead, we are committed to sustaining and building upon this trajectory, leveraging diverse source markets to enhance tourism’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP.”
Key source markets
In collaboration with domestic stakeholders and more than 3,000 global partners in 80 markets, DET’s targeted campaigns resulted in Dubai achieving impressive growth in key markets in the first half of 2024. With bespoke strategies and activities highlighting the city’s unique offering, dynamic appeal and connectivity, Dubai has maintained its position as a first-choice travel destination for visitors both from key traditional and emerging markets.
From January to June 2024, proximity markets in GCC and MENA had a comBined 26 per cent share of overall visitors, with 1.27 million (14 per cent) and 1.09 million (12 per cent) arrivals respectively. Western Europe accounted for 20 per cent of visitors to Dubai, with 1.89 million in total. South Asia was another major source market, with 1.62 million visitors (17 per cent), as was CIS and Eastern Europe with 1.37 million (15 per cent). North-East and South-East Asia grew from an 8 per cent share at the beginning of the year to a 10 per cent share (896,000) of total visitors by the end of H1 2024, driven by strong recovery from China. Other regions also saw a rise in visitation to Dubai, including the Americas with 617,000 (7 per cent), Africa with 404,000 (4 per cent) and Australasia with 154,000 (2 per cent).
Hotels and hospitality
World-class hotels and accommodation continue to be one of the core pillars of Dubai’s destination offering. Adding to the city’s appeal for global visitors, the first half of the year saw a number of high-profile openings including: The Lana, Dorchester Collection’s first Middle East property; SIRO One Za’abeel, Dubai’s first fitness hotel; and Hilton Dubai Creek Hotel & Residences. The city’s accommodation portfolio will continue to grow with new openings planned throughout the rest of the year, as part of a strategic approach to expanding inventory to meet demand and ensure Dubai offers visitors a wide range of options across different categories and price points.
According to DET’s latest data, the emirate’s hotel sector continued to perform well across all hospitality metrics from January to June, including occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), revenue per available room (RevPAR), and guests’ length of stay. Among the highest in the world, Dubai hotels’ average occupancy of 78.7 per cent is a slight 1.0 per centage point higher than the 77.7 per cent occupancy achieved for the same period in 2023.
Occupied room nights increased by 3 per cent, with 21.35 million at the end of H1 2024, compared to 20.73 million in H1 2023. ADR rose to AED558 during H1, an increase of 4 per cent compared to the same period in 2023, while RevPAR increased by 6 per cent compared to last year, from AED415 to AED439. Meanwhile, total available rooms in Dubai reached 150,879 by the end of June 2024, compared to 148,689 rooms in June 2023, with the number of establishments standing at 823, up from 810 at the same point last year.
Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Inspired by the city’s visionary leadership and guided by the objectives of the D33 Agenda, Dubai has continued to stay ahead of the curve by further elevating standards with innovative and distinctive world-class infrastructure, experiences and attractions.
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