The highest ever… Dubai receives 11.93 million international tourists in 8 months

The Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai revealed the latest statistics on the performance of the tourism sector and the numbers of international visitors, which showed that the emirate attracted 11.93 million international tourists during the first eight months of this year, compared to 11.1 million tourists during the same period last year, with a growth rate of about 7.5%, setting an all-time record.

According to data from the department, a copy of which was obtained by Emirates Today, Dubai continued to record strong rates in various indicators, including the total number of visitors, the number of hotel rooms, the nights booked, the average daily price, as well as the average return on the room, compared to the levels of the year. the past.

According to the geographic region of visitors, Western Europe came in first place, accounting for 19% of the total number of visitors between January and August 2024, recording about 2.32 million international tourists, followed by the South Asia region with 17%, recording more than two million tourists.

The Gulf Cooperation Council region came in third place, accounting for about 15%, recording about 1.8 million visitors, while the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe came in fourth place with about 14%, with a rate of 1.64 million tourists, compared to a rate of 12% for the East region. The Middle East and North Africa, with a rate of 1.37 million tourists, while the countries of North and Southeast Asia accounted for a share of 10% of the total, recording about 1.16 million international tourists.

In turn, the total number of international tourists from the Americas region reached more than 791 thousand international tourists, accounting for 7% of the total number, compared to a share of 5% for Africa, with a rate of about 561 thousand visitors, while the “Australasia” region acquired a percentage It amounted to about 2%, with a rate of 218 thousand international tourists.

In addition, the number of hotel rooms in Dubai at the end of last August amounted to more than 151,388 hotel rooms within 824 hotel facilities, compared to about 148,593 hotel rooms within 814 facilities at the end of August 2023.

Luxury “five-star” hotel rooms accounted for 35% of the total size of the hotel market in Dubai, recording about 52.7 thousand hotel rooms within 165 hotel establishments, followed by “four-star” hotel rooms with a percentage of 29%, recording about 43.6 thousand. Hotel room within 196 establishments.

For its part, hotels classified between “three stars” and “one star” accounted for about 19% of the total size of the hotel market, with a capacity of about 28.9 thousand hotel rooms, within 275 hotel facilities.

As for hotel apartments, they recorded about 26.1 thousand rooms in 188 establishments, thus accounting for about 17% of the total size of the hotel market in Dubai. The hotel room occupancy rate in Dubai reached 76.2% in the first eight months of 2024, compared to an average occupancy of 75.5% during the same period last year.

In the same context, international visitors recorded 27.8 million overnight stays during the first eight months of 2024, compared to 27 million overnight stays in the corresponding period, with a growth rate of about 3%, while the length of stay of guests reached 3.6 nights.

According to the data, the average daily price of a hotel room reached 503 dirhams, compared to 487 dirhams in the same period in 2023, and the average return from available rooms reached 384 dirhams, compared to 368 dirhams in 2023.

. 151.38 thousand number of hotel rooms in Dubai by the end of August within 824 hotel establishments.