Over 7 million international visitors visited Dubai during the first half of 2022, an increase of over 183 percent year-on-year, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. The number of hotel guests rose 42 percent year on year to 12 million, and there will be a strong tourism recovery during the upcoming winter season. In the first half of this year, the emirate recorded a similar number of tourists to what it recorded in the first half of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. A rise in tourists reflected the emirate’s economic resilience and dynamism. The rapid rise in international tourist arrivals puts Dubai on track to achieve its ambitious target of becoming the world’s most visited destination.
During the period between January and June this year, the Middle East and North African region accounted for 34 percent of the 7.12 million tourists, Western Europe accounted for 22 percent, South Asia accounted for 16 percent, and Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States countries, and eastern Europe accounted for 11 percent. All key hospitality metrics, including occupied room nights, average daily rates, and revenue per room, outperformed pre-pandemic levels. During this period, Dubai hotels delivered 18.47 million occupied room nights, an increase of 30.4 percent year-over-year and 18 percent over pre-COVID levels in the first half 2019 of 15.71 million.