Dubai attracts 13.9 million tourists in 10 months, a growth of 22 per cent

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Dubai attracted about 13.9 million international visitors during the first ten months of the year 2023, compared to 11.4 million international visitors in the same period last year, a growth of 22%, compared to 13.5 million visitors in the same period in 2019, that is, before Covid-19 pandemic, with a growth of 3%.

The average hotel occupancy rate in all establishments operating in Dubai reached 76%, compared to 71% in the same period in 2022, and compared to 74% for the same period in 2019, which confirms the strong demand for hotel establishments in the city, despite the significant increase in hotel supply.

According to the data, the number of nights (booked rooms) reached about 34.2 million overnight stays, compared to about 30.4 million overnight stays in the corresponding period, an increase of 12.5%, as the length of stay of guests at the end of October of this year recorded 3.8 hotel nights compared to 4 nights in the same period in 2022.

The data showed that India topped the exporting markets for international visitors to Dubai during the period between January and October of this year, recording about 1.99 million international visitors, a growth of 39%, compared to the same period in 2022, and the United Kingdom rose to second place, recording about 954 thousand visitors, with a growth.

15%, then Saudi Arabia was in third place, with about 930,000 visitors, a decline of 6%, and in fourth place was Russia, with 917,000 visitors, a growth of 67%, then the Sultanate of Oman was in fifth place, with about 860,000 visitors, a decline of 23%.

Dubai received about 582,000 tourists from the United States, with a growth of 32%, to come in sixth place, then China in seventh place with about 522,000 visitors, with a growth of 278%, then Germany in eighth place with 453,000 tourists, with a growth of 46%, and Iran in ninth place. , with about 333 thousand visitors, a growth of 22%, then in tenth place, Pakistan, with about 286 thousand visitors, a decline of 6%.

Western Europe ranked first in terms of the source of visitors to Dubai, based on geographical region, accounting for 19% of the total number of visitors during the period between January and October 2023, followed by the South Asia region with about 18%, compared to 16% for the GCC region.

The Gulf, and 13% for Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe, as well as the Middle East and North Africa region, and the countries of North and Southeast Asia 8%, and the share of the Americas reached 7%, Africa 4%, and the “Australasia” region 2%.

The hotel sector in Dubai recorded, at the end of October 2023, more than 149 thousand hotel rooms within 818 hotel establishments, a growth of approximately 4%, compared to 144.7 thousand hotel rooms within 790 establishments at the end of October 2022.

Luxury “five-star” hotel rooms accounted for 35% of the total size of the hotel market in Dubai, recording about 51.2 thousand hotel rooms within 156 hotel establishments, followed by “four-star” hotel rooms with a percentage of 28%, recording about 42.3 thousand hotel rooms.

For its part, hotels classified between “three stars” and “one star” accounted for about 20% of the total size of the hotel market, with a capacity exceeding 29.2 thousand hotel rooms within 278 hotel facilities. As for hotel apartments, they registered more than 26,000 rooms in 195 establishments, occupying 18% of the size of the hotel market in Dubai.