The emirate's city Dubai welcomed 7.28 million international overnight visitors last year, a 32 percent growth compared to 2020, as the emirate continues to set the pace for the global post-pandemic tourism recovery.

The data, published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), found that over 3.4 million visitors came to the city in the fourth quarter of 2021, which represents 74 percent of pre-pandemic tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“Under the visionary leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, our ability and agility in achieving a remarkable turnaround amid continuing global challenges has cemented the emirate’s position as the destination of choice for international travelers,” Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism said in a statement carried by WAM.
“The outstanding performance also advances our journey towards becoming the most visited destination and the world’s best city to live and work in. In leading the global tourism recovery with the support of our stakeholders and partners, Dubai constantly set precedents, demonstrating how to safely yet effectively open up to international visitors and, critically, stay open. The emirate’s well-coordinated, consistent, proactive and creative approach enabled it to lay the groundwork for an accelerated recovery that received a major boost with the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations,” he added.

The top sources of visitors to the emirate in 2021 were: India, with 910,000 visitors, a 5.3 percent growth year-on-year; Saudi Arabia with 491,000 visitors, a 22.8 percent growth year-on-year; Russia with 444,000 visitors, a 50.3 percent growth year-on-year; and the UK, with 420,000 visitors, a 7.1 percent growth year-on-year.

The MENA and GCC regions contributed 26 percent of all visitors, followed by Western Europe at 22 percent, South Asia at 18 percent, and Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe contributing 15 percent.