Tourism data for January to March of 2023 released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism has shown that Dubai City is fast becoming one of the world’s most visited international tourist destinations.
In the first three months of the year, International overnight visitors increased by 17 percent from previous years after close to 4.7 million visitors spent at least one night in Dubai.
This rapid increase in tourist figures is in line with Dubai’s Economic Agenda D33, which aims to place the Middle Eastern desert city as one of the top three cities in the world.
In addition, Dubai is one of the fastest recovering economies from the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, with the city’s tourism sector achieving a 98 percent return to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023.
Compared to other global tourist destinations, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have shown a higher rate of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
From January to March, Dubai received 29 percent of her overnight visitors from the Middle East and Northern Africa, and 22 percent from Western Europe. Visitors from South Asia accounted for 16 percent of overnight visitors.
In the same period, hotel occupancy rates increased to 83 percent, just one percent shy of the figure recorded in the first quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, revenue per available room increased by 21 percent from 2019.
CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, His Excellency Issam Kazim, commented on the release of the tourism data and affirmed the corporation’s commitment to boosting Dubai’s tourism potential on the global stage.
“Inspired by our visionary leadership, we have made tremendous strides in our efforts to position the city as a must-visit destination through celebrity-led and digital-first global campaigns in parallel with initiatives that increase accessibility, minimize barriers to travel, and make it as seamless as possible for travelers to visit Dubai,” His Excellency Issam Kazim said.
