According to the latest data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai attracted 7.12 million international overnight visitors between January and June 2022, recording an increase in the number of visitors by more than 183% compared to 2.52 million tourists who visited Dubai during the same period in 2021. This positive trend in the first half of 2022 confidently puts the city on the path to achieving the goals in the field of IT tourism for 2022 and beyond and further strengthens its position as a preferred international destination.
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, said: “The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city of the future and the world's best place to live, work and invest has led to the revival of Dubai's tourism sector. The growth in the number of tourists reflects the stability and dynamism of the emirate's economy.
His Highness' vision has helped Dubai establish a solid and stable economic foundation and a dynamic business ecosystem, enabling it to become a leading global hub for various sectors. The rapid growth in the number of international tourists puts Dubai on the path to achieving its ambitious goal of becoming the most visited place in the world. In the coming years, Dubai will continue to develop as a destination offering attractive value for international travelers.”
The number of tourists registered in the first half of 2022 was close to the figures achieved in the first six months of 2019, when 8.36 million tourists arrived in Dubai. The emirate's ability to quickly return to a level close to the pre-pandemic level of tourism is even more remarkable, given the impact of unprecedented problems and other macroeconomic factors on the global economy and the tourism sector.
Regional market share
From a regional point of view, Western Europe accounts for a significant share of incoming tourists, accounting for 22% of the total number of international visitors in the first six months of 2022. The MENA and GCC countries continued to make an impact, collectively providing 34% of the total number of international visitors and highlighting Dubai's strong appeal to visitors from nearby markets as a reliable and preferred destination.
These regions are followed by South Asia with a share of 16%, and Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe together account for 11% of the total number of visitors in the first half of 2022. The wide geographical coverage reflects Dubai's diversified strategy aimed at attracting traffic from a wide range of countries and visitor segments, reducing the risks associated with excessive dependence on any one region, and underscores the success of marketing campaigns aimed at providing personalized messages on specialized platforms targeted at a specific audience.
The highest hotel occupancy rate in the world
A wide range of hotel establishments in Dubai demonstrated another outstanding result in all indicators of hospitality in the first half of 2022. The average occupancy rate of the hotel sector in the period from January to June 2022 was 74%, which is one of the highest rates in the world, compared with 62% in the 1st half of 2021, the difference is 12 percentage points and slightly below the occupancy rate of 76% recorded in the period before the pandemic in the 1st half of 2019.
This is especially noteworthy because it was achieved despite an increase in capacity by +19% compared to the same period in 2019. Dubai's hotel fund by the end of June 2022 included 140,778 rooms opened in 773 hotel establishments, compared with 118,345 rooms available at the end of June 2019 in 714 establishments. Meanwhile, the total number of hotels in the 1st half of 2022 increased by 8% compared to the 1st half of 2021, which indicates the continued high confidence of investors in the Dubai tourism sector.
The hotel sector has surpassed pre-pandemic figures in all other key indicators - the number of nights occupied in a room, the Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Income per Available Room (RevPAR). In the first six months of the year, Dubai's hotel establishments provided a total of 18.47 million occupied nights in rooms, which is +30.4% more compared to the same period last year and +18% more than in the period before the pandemic in the 1st half of 2019, when 15.71 million nights in rooms were occupied. In addition, ADR Dhs567 in the first half of the year surpassed ADR for both the 1st half of 2021 (Dhs382) and 2019 (Dhs444), increasing by 48.5% and 28% YoY, respectively.
The high performance of the hotel sector is also evident in the growth of RevPAR – an increase of more than 76% compared to the first six months of 2021 (417 vs. 237 dirhams) and an increase of 24% compared to the period before the pandemic in 2019 (RevPAR 336 dirhams). According to the analytical company STR, Dubai ranks 3rd in the world in RevPAR ($147) after Paris ($195) and New York ($172).
Dubai's Enduring Global Appeal
The latest data demonstrate the continued attractiveness of Dubai as a must-visit destination, which further confirms Dubai's ranking as the No. 1 place in the world according to Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards 2022. It also remains one of the most sought-after cities for international travel, business and events at a time when most of the world's destinations have reopened to tourism.
The very encouraging performance of the industry is primarily due to the extremely successful six-month Expo 2020 Dubai, which attracted more than 24 million visitors by the time of its completion on March 31 this year, as well as the constant support provided by both domestic and international partners in demonstrating Dubai as a multifaceted destination that is safe, open and accessible.
Many festivals, entertainment and business events, including Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, Gulfood and Dubai World Cup. The World Government Summit, Binance Blockchain Week, Dubai Desert Classic, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, Gulfood, Dubai International Boat Show and the Arab tourism market also contributed to the growth.
Global campaigns open Dubai to the whole world
In addition to the many global events and events showcasing the diversity of destinations on offer, Dubai continues to attract a global audience through international campaigns and market trade events that highlight it as a destination of choice.
This includes the "Dubai Presents" campaign, which promotes the city's attractions with a series of movie-style trailers featuring stars from both Hollywood and Bollywood. Marketing activities in key international markets have also been stepped up to showcase the city as a preferred summer destination, in particular with the "Stay More, Pay Less" charity summer campaign aimed at attracting travelers and families to Dubai, in addition to attracting visitors to the ongoing Dubai Summer Surprise Festival.
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