The emirate hosted more than 5 million visitors in the first three months of this year
Dubai recorded an 11 per cent increase in tourist numbers in the first quarter of the year as the emirate continued to benefit from a rebound in global travel demand after the coronavirus pandemic.
The emirate hosted 5.18 million international overnight visitors from January to March 2024, compared with 4.67 million tourist arrivals during the same period a year earlier, according to data published by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) on Monday.
“The number of visitors in the first quarter of 2024 indicates that Dubai is on course for another standout performance this year after the emirate received a record number of visitors last year,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the emirate’s Executive Council.
“This will ensure that the tourism sector continues its growth journey in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to strengthen its position as a leading global city for business and leisure.”
The tourism sector, an important pillar of the emirate’s economy, has strongly rebounded from the coronavirus-induced slowdown. Last year, Dubai International Airport retained its crown as the world’s busiest international hub for passengers for the 10th consecutive year amid an increase in long-haul travel demand.
From January to March, the Western Europe region was Dubai’s biggest source market with 1.138 million arrivals, followed by South Asia with 869,000 visitors, the DET said.
About 817,000 visitors were recorded from countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe.
Dubai’s hotels maintained a room occupancy rate of 83 per cent in the first quarter despite a 2 per cent year-over-year increase in overall room supply, the DET said.
In the first quarter of 2024, there were 11.2 million occupied room nights, representing a 2 per cent increase from the 10.98 million occupied room nights in the same period last year.
Hotel revenue per available room, a crucial gauge of performance for the industry, reached Dh527 ($143.48) in the first quarter, up by 4 per cent compared to the first three months of last year.
“In addition to our high-performing tourism ecosystem, these figures also continue to be spurred by upswings in the number of international businesses setting up, existing companies expanding business lines and catchment footprint from Dubai,” said Helal Al Marri, director general of DET.
Source: thenationalnews