Dubai received 11.4 million international visitors between January and October 2022, an increase of 134% compared to the same period last year, as reported by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Ranked second in the Top 100 Cities Destination Index by Euromonitor International, Dubai is ever closer to reaching the pre-pandemic record of 13.50 million international visitors seen in the first ten months of 2019.
“Dubai will maintain competitive advantage through our strong public-private partnerships, expanding the diverse destination offering, and constantly launching innovative initiatives and international campaigns to showcase Dubai as a must-see destination,” said Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism. The Top 5 top source markets for the destination, according to data shared by DET, is led by India which recorded a 116% growth compared to 2021 and was just 9% short of the 2019 results.
Oman recorded a 572% and 32% increase year-on-year in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Oman is the second outbound market to Dubai. Saudi Arabia saw an increase of 267% compared to the 2021 results and a decrease of 26% compared to the pre-pandemic period.
2022 has been a transformative year to develop and broaden Dubai’s global appeal.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism
The UK showed a 254% growth compared to 2021 and is 15% away from recovering the volume recorded in 2019. As for Russia, this market recorded growth compared to 2021 as to 2019, of 76% and 8%, respectively. The United States of America, Germany, Pakistan, France and Iran complete the list of the top ten source markets for the destination. With regard to the behavior of the Portuguese market, it has already reached 97% of the volume of tourists to Dubai recorded in 2019.
According to an international visitor survey conducted by the Dubai DET in the first half of 2022, the city has consolidated its position as a vacation destination for families and couples (79%). The findings also reveal that Dubai has performed well in all pillars of tourism, from culture to gastronomy, adventure, entertainment to shopping. The survey also highlighted that young travelers in the under-35 age group made up a significant proportion (40%) of travelers to Dubai in the first half of the year.
The positive results are also linked to the average hotel occupancy rate which, between January and October, was once again one of the highest ones in the world, with a record of 71%. In the same period of 2021, the average occupancy rate was 64% and 74% during the pre-pandemic period of 2019. Dubai’s occupancy continues to closely follow the major benchmark cities: Istanbul (75%), New York (74%), Paris (73%), London (73%) and Los Angeles (72%).
We ensure a steady flow of international visitors, offering more value than any destination.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism
The destination’s hotel supply has also seen growth, by increasing 18% from pre-pandemic levels. Dubai’s hotel inventory as of October 2022 included 144,737 rooms across 790 hotel establishments compared to 122,185 rooms available at the end of October 2019 across 724 hotel establishments, according to Dubai DET data.
Dubai’s hotel establishments saw a total of 30.40 million occupied room nights during the first ten months of the year, a 23% growth over 2021 and a 17% increase over the corresponding period of 2019, where 26.01 million occupied room nights were recorded. The ADR (Average Daily Rate) of AED506 (about EUR133) in the first ten months of 2022 exceeded the ADR in the first ten months of 2021 (AED384; EUR100) and 2019 (AED400; EUR105).
“Inspired by our visionary leadership, 2022 has been a transformative year to develop and broaden Dubai’s global appeal, designed to keep the destination at the forefront and cater to the various needs and tastes of international travelers,” said Issam Kazim. “With the world again in motion, our ability to react, adapt, evolve and tap into new and current traveler segments has been critical to leverage Dubai and benefit from a rapidly evolving global tourism landscape. We ensure a steady flow of international visitors, offering more value than any destination.”
In order to boost the city’s emerging tourism industry and support regional and global tourism, the Dubai DET has announced the launch of the Dubai Tourism Summit. This unprecedented travel forum in the region will lay the foundation for a world-leading program, but also provide a networking platform for stakeholders in the tourism system to share their vision, ideas, strategies and best practices, as well as insights on how to harness the latest innovations and trends to create a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future for global tourism.
