The performance of the tourism sector in the Emirate of Dubai witnessed a remarkable increase, as 11.1 million tourists visited the city in the first eight months of 2023 – from January to August – compared to 9.1 million tourists during the same period last year, an increase of 21.7%, according to statistics from the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai.
According to the department’s report, 35% of the hotel rooms in Dubai were categorized as “5-star,” comprising approximately 51,200 hotel rooms within 156 hotel establishments. The “4-star” hotel rooms accounted for 28% of the market, with around 42,200 rooms in 188 establishments. Meanwhile, hotels rated as “3-star” and “star” claimed roughly 20% of the hotel market, providing over 29,000 hotel rooms across 274 establishments. Additionally, the luxury hotel apartments reached 13,400 units in 84 establishments, with around 12,500 units for the medium-range hotel apartments in 112 establishments.
Regarding accommodation capacity, the number of hotel rooms in Dubai rose to over 148,500 hotel rooms within 814 hotel establishments by the end of August 2023, compared to about 142,200 rooms within 779 establishments by the end of August 2022. This represents a 4% increase in the number of hotel rooms and a 4% increase in the number of establishments.
The report also revealed that the average hotel occupancy rate in all Dubai establishments reached 76%, compared to 71% during the same period last year.
The daily room rate decreased to AED 487, compared to AED 514 in the same period, resulting in an approximate return of AED 368 per available room, compared to AED 364 during the same period the previous year. The average length of stay for guests between January and August 2023 decreased to 3.8 nights, compared to 4 nights during the same period in 2022. Additionally, the number of reserved nights reached approximately 27.03 million nights, with a 13% growth compared to the same period in the previous year.
Main Exporting Markets
India topped the list as the largest source market for international visitors to Dubai, with more than 1.568 million visitors, a growth of 44% compared to the same period last year. It was followed by Saudi Arabia with 785,000 visitors, the United Kingdom with 734,000 visitors, and Russia with more than 731,000 visitors with an 85% growth. Oman and the United States came in next place, followed by China, Germany, Iran and Israel.
By region, visitors from Western Europe accounted for around 19% of total visitors to Dubai, 18% from South Asia, 13% from the Middle East and North Africa, and 13% from Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe.North and Southeast Asia accounted for 8% of total visitors and 7% from the Americas, with the remainder distributed to other regions.