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19-04-23

Dubai Tourism Sector Shows Strong Recovery with 3.1 Million Visitors in First Two Months of 2023

(MENAFN) Dubai's tourism sector is rebounding strongly from the negative impacts of the pandemic, as evidenced by the 3.1 million visitors the emirate welcomed in the first two months of 2023, according to Emirates NBD. January's visitor numbers were up 50 percent YoY, although still 9 percent below pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, in February, Dubai welcomed 1.63 million visitors, up 35 percent YoY and 7 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the government-owned bank's report.

Emirates NBD's report highlighted India as the largest source of tourists during January and February, with 401,000 visitors reaching Dubai. Russia followed with 229,000 visitors, Oman with 201,000 visitors, and the UK with 196,000 visitors. Saudi Arabia accounted for 183,000 visitors, around one-third below pre-pandemic levels for the same period. During the same period, 52,000 Chinese travelers visited Dubai, down 75 percent from the pre-pandemic period in 2019. While the report noted that the number of Chinese visitors may not fully recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, significant improvement is expected this year.

Hosting events like Gulf Food and IDEX helped emirates like Dubai and Abu Dhabi deliver a formidable performance in 2023 in terms of tourist arrivals, according to the latest JLL report titled UAE Real Estate Market Overview. The rise in arrival numbers helped Dubai hotels improve their average occupancy rates, which climbed to 84.4 percent in January and February, a 6.4 percent increase YoY and 0.2 percent higher than in 2019, according to the Emirates NBD report.

While the report highlighted the improvement in occupancy rates, it also stated that guests' length of stay declined from an average of 4.3 nights to four nights, and the average daily rate declined by 2 percent to USD169.64. However, the report noted that the number of total available rooms grew by 7 percent YoY to 148,450 rooms. Five-star hotels in Dubai had the biggest share of the inventory at 34 percent, while four-star hotels made up 29 percent of the overall hotel rooms in the emirate. Hotels from one to three stars made up 20 percent of the overall hotel rooms in Dubai.

Overall, Dubai's tourism sector is showing a strong recovery, with a significant increase in visitor numbers and occupancy rates in the first two months of 2023, despite some challenges from the pandemic. The government's efforts to host events and attract tourists from diverse regions have paid off, and the city is expected to continue to attract more visitors throughout the year.

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