Hamdan bin Mohammed: Guided by Mohammed bin Rashid’s strategic vision, Dubai’s tourism sector continues to demonstrate its robust growth potential and attractive proposition for global travellers:

  • Number of international overnight visitors in the first half of the year was 9 per cent higher than the same period in 2023.
  • H1 growth aligns with the goal of the D33 Agenda to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global destination for business and leisure.

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 in 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.

Key source markets

In collaboration with domestic stakeholders and over 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. 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 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 Southeast 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 a 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

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 percentage 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, the 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.

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 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 13th and named the best restaurant in the Middle East, while Orfali Bros Bistro was ranked 64th on the extended list. Dubai is also ranked 9th on Time Out’s 2024 ranking of ‘the world’s 20 best cities for food right now.’

Business events also played a critical role – through the major homegrown trade shows the city hosts annually, as well as the conferences and meetings brought to the city due to bidding activity driven by Dubai Business Events, part of DET and the city’s official convention bureau. So far this year, Dubai has hosted several major industry exhibitions. It has 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).

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, which IBCCES awarded. At the same time, key hotel groups like Emaar Hospitality and Atlantis have also demonstrated commitment by 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. The inaugural ‘Dubai Sustainability Report’ by DET in May highlighted the development plans and achievements supporting 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 adherence to DET’s ‘19 Sustainability Requirements’, through a three-tier scheme with Gold, Silver and Bronze categories.

To read DET’s latest performance and industry reports, please visit dubaidet.gov.ae