The profits in numbers place the city ‘on track to achieve its tourism goals, reinforcing its position as an international hub for global travellers.
Dubai hosted 7.12 million international overnight visitors between January and June 2022, an over 183 percent year-on-year growth compared to the 2.52 million tourists who visited Dubai during the same period in 2021.
The latest data was shared by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and shows that Dubai’s tourist number for H1 2022 are making their way back to the pre-pandemic figures of 8.36 million tourists which were recorded in H1 2019.
Western Europe accounted for 22 percent of the total international visitors to Dubai in the first six months of 2022. MENA and GCC visitors accounted for 34 percent of its total international visitor count, while South Asia contributed a share of 16 percent followed by Russia, CIS, and Eastern Europe which were responsible for 11 percent of the total visitors in H1 2022, reported UAE state-run news agency WAM.
Average occupancy for Dubai’s hotels between January and June 2022 stood at 74 percent, compared to 62 percent in H1 2021 and nearly as much as the 76 percent occupancy level registered in H1 2019.
The 74 percent occupancy in Dubai’s hotels in H1 2022 was achieved in spite of a 19 percent increase in room capacity over the corresponding period in 2019.
Dubai’s hotel inventory by the end of June 2022 comprised 140,778 rooms open at 773 hotel establishments, compared to 118,345 rooms available at the end of June 2019 across 714 hotels.
Meanwhile, the total number of hotels in H1 2022 marked an 8 percent growth over H1 2021.
Dubai’s hotel sector reportedly outperformed pre-pandemic levels across key measurements including Occupied Room Nights, Average Daily Rate (ADR), and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR).
The emirate’s hotels delivered a combined 18.47million occupied room nights during the first six months of the year, a 30.4 percent year-on-year growth, and an 18 percent increase over H1 2019 where it yielded 15.71 million occupied room nights.
In addition, the ADR of Dhs567 in the first half of the year surpassed the ADRs for both H1 2021 (Dhs382) and H1 2019 (Dhs444), with 48.5 percent and 28 percent year-on-year growth, respectively. The RevPAR surged 76 percent compared to the first six months of 2021 (Dhs417 vs Dhs237) and marked an increase of 24 percent over 2019’s first January-June figures of Dhs336. According to hotel analytics firm STR, Dubai ranks third globally on RevPAR (US$147), after Paris (US$195) and New York (US$172).
“The growth in tourists reflects the resilience and dynamism of the emirate’s economy. The rapid rise in international tourist arrivals puts Dubai on track to achieve its ambitious target of becoming the world’s most visited destination,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
