The number of international tourists visiting Dubai increased significantly in 2022, with international overnight visitors increasing 97% YOY compared to 2021.
According to the latest data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the city received 14.36 million international tourist arrivals in 2022, up from 7.28 million in 2021.
Global tourist travel in 2022 was 37% lower than in 2019, reports the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The Middle East saw the most robust relative increase, with arrivals increasing by 83% over pre-COVID levels. Dubai outperformed regional and global recovery indicators, reaching 86% of pre-pandemic levels. The global recovery rate was 63%.
According to a DET statement, this performance validates Dubai’s ranking as the No. 1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards 2023 for the second consecutive year.
HOSPITALITY SECTOR REMAINED STRONG
The hotel sector in Dubai, integral to the emirate’s destination appeal and the overall growth in the tourism industry, remained strong across all metrics.
Average occupancy in 2022 stood at 73%, up from 67% in 2021. This was just short of the 75% occupancy in the pre-pandemic period in 2019 and was achieved despite a 16% increase in room supply in 2022 compared to 2019.
Hotel inventory in Dubai at the end of December 2022 consisted of 146,496 rooms across 804 hotel properties, compared to 126,120 rooms available at the end of December 2019 across 741 properties.
The total number of hotels in 2022 saw a 6% growth over 2021, with 755 hotels providing 137,950 rooms.
The hotel sector outdid pre-pandemic figures in all other crucial measurements — occupied room nights, ADR and RevPAR. Occupied room nights saw a record high of 37.43 million room nights in 2022, recording a 19% increase compared to 31.47 million in 2021 and a 17% rise over 2019, which yielded 32.11 million occupied room nights.
In 2022, ADR of AED536 ($145.90) outdid ADRs of both 2021 (AED451/ $122.76) and 2019 (AED415/ $112.96), with 19% and 29% increases, respectively. The hotel sector’s powerful performance is reflected in the RevPAR growth, which was up 30% compared to 2021 (AED391/ $106.43 vs. AED301/ $81.93) and increased 25% over 2019 (RevPAR of AED312/ $84.92).
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS SHARE
Western Europe and the GC regions had a 21% share of total arrivals each. The GCC regions, in particular, saw a significant increase from 13% in 2021 to 21% in 2022. South Asia accounted for 17% of total volumes, while the Middle East and North Africa region accounted for 12%. The Americas accounted for 7% of all arrivals, with North Asia and Southeast Asia accounting for 5%, Africa accounting for 5%, and Australia accounting for 2%.
“The effectiveness of our strategies and initiatives gives us the confidence to tap new growth opportunities in the global travel and business sectors over the next few decades. As the fastest-growing city in the Middle East, Dubai’s continuous growth has been made possible by the unwavering support of our stakeholders and partners and a raft of strategic investments and federal policy reforms that have led to a steady flow of global entrepreneurs, talent, investors, and business and leisure travelers,” said DET Director General Helal Saeed Almarri.
The expansion has helped to achieve the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Expo 2020 Dubai played a deciding role in adding to Dubai’s performance. The six-month-long event saw 24 million visitors. Dubai also hosted global business and leisure events throughout the year, while the DET announced the launch of an annual Dubai Tourism Summit.
Dubai intends to leverage the retail and events sectors to attract more domestic and international visitors.
NEW LANDMARKS
Several new initiatives and attractions were opened throughout the year, including the unveiling of the Museum of the Future, Dubai’s new landmark. Dubai also unveiled Expo City, the legacy of Expo 2020, an innovation-driven, human-centric vision of the future, and Atlantis the Royal, a mega-resort located on Palm Jumeirah.
Dubai plans to introduce new initiatives in line with the UAE 2031 Tourism Strategy, which seeks to welcome 40 million visitors by 2031 and grow the tourism sector’s contribution to the emirate’s GDP to AED450 billion ($122.49 billion).