Dubai Tourism has just posted its highest international arrival numbers in the first half of a year in UAE history. With more than 8.5 million visiting the emirate in the first half of this year, it inches ahead of H1 2019’s 8.36 million feat in a dazzling display of post-pandemic recovery.
The achievement has been confirmed when H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council reviewed Dubai’s overall economic performance up to H1 2023. With 8.5 million international arrivals up to June 2023, the emirate is more than a million ahead compared to the same point last year. June 2022 YTD recorded 7.12 million arrivals.
The Crown Prince said: “Dubai’s economic performance indicators for the first half of 2023 have exceeded expectations. These exceptional results bolster our outlook for record results in the coming months. We look forward to a new, strong beginning in 2024, during which we seek to further enhance the business environment and accelerate economic growth in order to contribute to the goals of Dubai Economic Agenda D33,” H.H added.
The emirate saw strong May and June this year – which pushed Dubai ahead of pre-pandemic levels despite a slightly quieter April period compared to pre-pandemic. With 6.02 million visiting Dubai up to April this year, the city managed to draw an additional 2.48 million in just two months, and during hotter months which typically draw fewer travellers. Dubai Tourism is yet to publish a breakdown of May and June 2023, but April data shows strong performance on a global level.
Dubai took the lead in occupancy with a rate of 79.9 percent up to April 2023, just 2.9 percentage points below the pre-pandemic levels of 82.7 percent. This positions Dubai ahead of other global destinations such as London, New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. The report further revealed that Dubai topped the list in GOPAR at US$145 (AED530), only nine percent below the pre-pandemic levels. Paris ($113) and Singapore ($102) followed closely behind.
During this year’s City Briefing, Issam Kazim told the emirate’s hospitality leaders he wants to convert holiday-makers into residents. Kazim said: “Today we have two new KPIs. We want to make sure Dubai continues to be one of the best cities to work in, and more importantly, one of the best cities in the world to live in.”
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
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