Dubai welcomes record 9.31m visitors in H1 2024

Dhaka: 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, as per the data published by Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

From January to June 2024, the proximity markets from GCC and MENA had a combined 26 per cent share of overall visitors, 1.27 million (14pc) and 1.09 million (12pc) arrivals respectively, with Western Europe accounting for 20 per cent of visitors to Dubai, 1.89 million in total. South Asia was another major source market, with 1.62 million visitors (17pc).

About the growth, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, “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.”

Among the highest in the world, Dubai hotels’ average occupancy of 78.7 per cent is a 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.

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.