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Dubai welcomed 4.67 million international overnight visitors in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, compared to 3.97 million in the first quarter of 2022, a 17% year-on-year increase and the city’s best first-quarter performance since the pandemic began.
The figures put the emirate firmly on the map as the most visited international destination, according to the latest figures released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said: “The significant growth in international visits to Dubai in the first quarter of 2023 demonstrates the The city is emerging as one of the largest in the world. A major destination leading the recovery in global tourism.”
“This achievement is driven by the leadership’s ambitious vision to transform Dubai into one of the fastest growing metropolises in the world and a global center of excellence for tourism, talent, entrepreneurship and investment. The recently launched Dubai Economic Agenda by His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum sets out an ambitious new path for Dubai to strengthen its contribution to shaping the future of the global economy.
“Tourism is not only the strongest pillar of our economy, but also a key enabler of Dubai’s unique role in the world as a bridge between markets, cultures and regions. In the years to come, Dubai will continue to introduce new groundbreaking initiative to offer travelers a unique proposition and to achieve its goal of being the best place in the world to live, visit, work and invest,” he added.
The latest industry results – announced at the ongoing 30th Arabian Travel Market at Dubai World Trade Center – position Dubai as the fastest recovering destination in the world, reaching 98% of pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023, And surpassing the forecast of the United Nations World Trade Organization, the United Nations World Trade Organization predicts that international tourist arrivals may reach 80-95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, especially in Europe and the Middle East.
Tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2023 are only two percent lower than the 4.75 million tourists who arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019 pre-pandemic, since the turnaround was achieved by reopening to international cities in July 2020 Significant achievement for visitors despite current global economic headwinds. The industry performance also capped off a stellar first quarter for Dubai, with the city once again named the world’s number one destination at the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023, taking home the coveted award for only the second time in history for two consecutive years.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, commented: “Our industry will undergo a remarkable phase of transformation in terms of infrastructure, technology, attractions and experiences over the next decade as we focus on achieving the goals of: Dubai’s 2033 Economy agenda.
“To maintain Dubai’s global appeal as a destination of choice for travellers, we will continue to follow the multi-pronged blueprint that has largely contributed to our success in 2022 – evolving destination commitment, multi-geographical Market Approach, Ongoing International Promotion Organize international MICE, business and leisure events and further improve stakeholder relations through global events.
“As we look to further accelerate tourism momentum, the pillars of sustainability, gastronomy, trade and technology will form the foundation of our future success. Notably, this year has been declared the UAE’s ‘Sustainability Year’, This is an important milestone for us as the city prepares to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28. Sustainability will form the core of everything we do, integrating sustainable practices into every aspect of the visitor experience to advance the way we become A journey into the world’s best cities to live and work in.”
strong rebound
Dubai’s traditional source markets achieved solid tourism volumes in the first quarter of this year, with key regions continuing to have an impact on international arrivals, further underscoring the success of the city’s diversified multi-territory strategy. Combined, GCC and Mena were the largest regions, accounting for 29% of the total, reflecting the city’s continued appeal to travelers from adjacent markets. Western Europe accounted for 22% of tourist arrivals, while South Asia accounted for 16% of total international arrivals, followed by CIS and Eastern Europe with a combined contribution of 15%, the Americas (7%), North and Southeast Asia (6%), Africa (4%) ) and Australasia (1 %).
Most regions recorded significant growth in Q1 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, while four regions have fully recovered and surpassed Q1 2019 levels – CIS and Eastern Europe (compared to Q1 2019 48% increase compared to the first quarter of 2019), the Middle East and North Africa (32% increase compared to the first quarter of 2019). Q1-2019), the Americas (9% compared to Q1 2019 and 2% compared to 2019). In terms of tourism volumes, both South Asia and Western Europe are close to pre-pandemic levels.
Dubai’s hospitality sector leads growth
Dubai hotels see a surge in performance in the first quarter of 2023. The industry’s average occupancy rate reached an impressive 83% between January and March, one of the highest in the world, almost on par with the 84% occupancy rate recorded in the first quarter of 2019. This achievement is particularly notable given the 26% increase in room capacity since then.
As of the end of March 2023, the city’s hotel industry had 814 hotels with 148,877 rooms, compared to 717 hotels with 118,039 rooms in 2019. Continued domestic and foreign investment in the industry is helping to further increase hotel inventory, with a 6% increase in total hotels and rooms between the first quarter and 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
The hotel industry is performing better than pre-pandemic levels on all other hospitality metrics. Dubai hotels provided a total of 10.98 million room nights in the first three months of the year, up 7% year-on-year and 27% compared to the pre-pandemic 8.63 million room nights in Q1 2019.
The ADR of AED607 in the first three months of this year surpassed the ADR of 2019 (AED498) and increased by 22%, while the RevPAR of AED504 in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 21% compared to the first three months before the pandemic in 2019 years (417 dirhams). The strong performance of the hotel sector was also reflected in the average length of stay of guests, which increased from 3.5 nights to 4 nights, a 14% increase over the same period in 2019, underscoring the city’s appeal to long-stay travelers.
Leveraging on its status as an international events destination to attract more visitors to its MICE, business and leisure events, Dubai hosts a wide range of events and hosts more than 5,000 exhibitors from 125 countries in Q1 2023 business. Aside from COP28, other major events raising awareness globally for Dubai this year include Family Summer Extravaganza, Dubai Summer Surprise, Dubai Esports and Gaming Festival and Dubai Fitness Challenge.
Dubai will also continue to offer alternative growth paths facilitated by reform and regulatory drivers, including visa schemes such as the Golden Visa, 5-year multiple entry visa, virtual work and Dubai’s planned retirement scheme, which lower barriers to entry and promote Long-term development. A longstanding association with the city further strengthens its position as a global center of liveability. – trade arab news agency
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