Dubai received 7.12 million international visitors in the first half of 2022, nearly three times the 2.52 million tourists it received in the same period last year. This comes as the country strives to become the most visited destination in the world.
According to a statement issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), these figures bring the emirate closer to pre-pandemic levels, which reached 8.36 million tourists in the first six months of 2019. This is despite the impact of “unprecedented challenges” and “macroeconomic factors” affecting the global economy and the tourism industry
The momentum of Expo 2020, which ended on March 31, as well as the emirate’s reputation as a safe location, are the main factors driving the increase in tourists.
Hosting entertainment and business events, such as the Dubai Shopping Festival, the World Government Summit, and the Arabian Travel Market, has also helped to boost visitor numbers.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Emirate’s Executive Council, stated that Dubai’s efforts to become “the world’s best place to live, work, and invest” have contributed to the city’s tourism sector’s growth.
He added that Dubai’s exceptional success “greatly reflects the concerted efforts and exemplary cooperation between the public and private sectors, as well as between all our local and international partners, which contributed to the strength and recovery of our tourism sector in record time in line with international standards.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed also reiterated his welcome to all partners eager to continue their efforts to promote the successful march of tourism.
In 2019, the tourism industry in Dubai contributed 11.6 percent of the emirate’s GDP.
According to the Standard & Poor (S&P)’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), the travel and tourism sector plays a key role in Dubai’s non-oil private sector economy, which expanded at its fastest rate in three years in June.
Additionally, the Department of Economy and Tourism said that the increase in international visitors in the first half was aided by the emirate’s focus on diversifying its market sources.
Western Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries accounted for 22 percent of all visitors to Dubai.
And while South Asia and the MENA contributed 16 percent and 12 percent of visitors respectively, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States()CIS), and Eastern Europe combined accounted for 11 percent of total visitors to Dubai.
“The broad geographical spread reflects Dubai’s diversified strategy, which seeks to direct traffic from a diverse range of countries and visitor sectors while mitigating the risks associated with over-reliance on specific regions,” explains DET.
