Hamdan says Dubai is setting the standard for cities worldwide as city welcomes record 9.31m visitors in H1 2024

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.

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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.

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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.

An exceptional quality of life, safety, and accessibility have been consistently recognised across multiple global indices and we are committed to leveraging partnerships between the public and private sectors to showcase Dubai as a must-visit destination. The unwavering support of our partners and stakeholders will be crucial in driving our strong global and market-specific campaigns this summer, as we look to build on this positive growth throughout the rest of 2024.”

Partnerships, collaborations and campaigns

In collaboration with its stakeholders and partners, DET continues to create new growth pathways beyond traditional tourism, through investment, entrepreneurship, and attracting global talent, ensuring the city remains a hub of creativity, innovation, and technological advancement. Global campaigns and partnerships also continue to be a key focus for the city, with ongoing initiatives including ‘Where will Dubai take you now?’, a music-led promotion by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey which takes viewers to every corner of the emirate, and the ‘Drop by Dubai’ programme, which promotes Dubai as the perfect stopover destination.

Among the major attractions to open in the first half of the year was Real Madrid World at Dubai Parks and Resorts, the first theme park in the world to be operating under the branding of the famed Spanish football club. The opening aligns with wider collaborative efforts between the club and Dubai, including a multi-year agreement signed between DET and Real Madrid in October 2023.

Dubai has also established ongoing partnerships with major names in the music and entertainment fields, including Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who has become a vocal supporter of the emirate. Meanwhile, in the realm of gastronomy, Dubai had its own 50-minute episode on season seven of Somebody Feed Phil, a food travel show on Netflix where Phil Rosenthal tours restaurants across major global cities.

A global culinary and cruise hub

Dubai’s position as a world gastronomy capital was further reinforced after the third edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai was unveiled in July. The guide featured 106 restaurants, up from 90 in 2023, including four that were awarded two stars, 15 with one star, three with a green star, 18 Bib Gourmands, and 69 MICHELIN-selected restaurants. On the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list, Trèsind Studio was ranked at No.13 and named the best restaurant in the Middle East, while Orfali Bros Bistro was ranked at No.64 on the extended list. Dubai is also placed at No.9 on Time Out’s 2024 ranking of ‘the world’s 20 best cities for food right now’.

The ongoing expansion of the cruise sector is also seeing significant benefits for Dubai, and in the 2023/2024 winter season from October to April the emirate welcomed more than 132 ship calls between Mina Rashid and Dubai Harbour. In March at ITB in Berlin, Dubai joined forces with other regional maritime and tourism authorities to formalise the strategic Cruise Arabia alliance, to promote the Arabian Gulf as a cruise ship destination globally.

International events destination

Dubai’s status as a global entertainment hub is bolstered by a year-round calendar of business, leisure and sporting events, which continue to attract international tourists. Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), some of Dubai’s biggest annual events were held during the first half of the year, including Dubai Shopping Festival, Chinese New Year, Ramadan in Dubai, Eid in Dubai, the Great Online Sale, and Dubai Food Festival.

The ongoing Dubai Summer Surprises is one of Dubai’s major shopping and entertainment events which makes the city as lively and vibrant in the summer season as it is during all other times of the year, further reinforcing Dubai’s position as a leading summer destination for families. Upcoming events throughout the rest of 2024 include Dubai Fashion Season Fall/Winter, Dubai Fitness Challenge, and UAE Union Day.

Business events also played a critical role - both through the major homegrown trade shows the city hosts annually, as well as the conferences and meetings brought to the city as a result of bidding activity driven by Dubai Business Events, part of DET and the city’s official convention bureau. So far this year, Dubai has hosted a number of major industry exhibitions and shows that have attracted thousands of visitors and exhibitors, including Gulfood (150,000 attendees), Arabian Travel Market (46,000 attendees), and the landmark 30th Dubai International Boat Show (more than 1,000 brands and 200 boats).

Inclusivity and accessibility

In pursuing the goals of the D33 Agenda, Dubai is committed to enhancing the quality of life for People of Determination. Major attractions like Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Jumeirah Beach have comprehensive accessibility measures for physical and hidden disabilities like dedicated spaces, ramps, elevators, provision of hearing loops and resizable menus.

In April, it was announced that Dubai is on record pace towards becoming a Certified Autism Destination, with efforts across the city, driven by DET, putting it firmly on track to becoming the first Certified Autism Destination in the Eastern Hemisphere. Attractions such as Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Ice Rink, The Green Planet, Motiongate, Woo-hoo, and Atlantis Aquaventure have successfully obtained Certified Autism Center (CAC) status, awarded by IBCCES, while key hotel groups like Emaar Hospitality and Atlantis have also demonstrated commitment through investing in workforce training to secure their CAC status.

Sustainability initiatives

The UAE’s ‘Year of Sustainability’ was extended into 2024 and Dubai’s tourism and hospitality sectors continued to spearhead the city’s ecotourism strategy. Released by DET in May, the inaugural ‘Dubai Sustainability Report’ highlighted the development plans and achievements that support global objectives such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and country-wide strategies including the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 initiative.

As part of DET’s ongoing Dubai Sustainable Tourism drive, the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Stamp was awarded to 70 hotels in January, with more to be named in the coming months. The stamp recognises hotels with the highest level of adherence to DET’s ‘19 Sustainability Requirements’, through a three-tier scheme with Gold, Silver and Bronze categories.

Another major citywide sustainability initiative is Dubai Can, which is aligned with efforts to transform the emirate into a leading sustainable destination and the best city in the world to visit, work and live in. Since its launch in February 2022 by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Can, through its ‘Refill for Life’ campaign, has seen the reduction in the usage of an equivalent of more than 20.4 million 500 ml single-use plastic water bottles and 10.5 million litres of water dispensed via 50 water fountains located throughout the city.

Another major milestone for Dubai’s sustainability drive in H1 2024 was the launch of Dubai Reef’s pilot reef modules in April. Part of Dubai Can, Dubai Reef is the world’s largest marine reef development project, with 20,000 modules set to be deployed across 600 square kilometres of Dubai’s waters by 2027.

WAM