Dubai welcomed 16.79 million international tourists during the first eleven months of 2024, from January through November, marking a 9 percent increase over the same timeframe last year, when the total was 15.37 million international visitors.
According to the Dubai Tourism Sector 2024 Performance Report, released by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the emirate attracted 1.83 million international tourists in November alone, with additional monthly figures of 1.77 million in January, 1.9 million in February, 1.51 million in March, 1.5 million in April, 1.44 million in May, 1.19 million in June, 1.31 million in both July and August, 1.36 million in September, and 1.67 million in October.
Top source regions for tourists
In the first eleven months of this year, Western Europe emerged as the leading source region for tourists visiting Dubai, contributing 20 percent of the total visitors, which translates to 3.298 million tourists. Following closely was South Asia, with 2.858 million tourists, accounting for 17 percent of the overall visitor count.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ranked third, bringing in over 2.5 million tourists, which equates to 15 percent of the total, WAM reported. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe followed in fourth place, collectively sending 2.353 million tourists, amounting to 14 percent.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was fifth, with 1.933 million tourists contributing to 12 percent of the total visitors. North East and South East Asia collectively accounted for a 10 percent share, with 1.622 million visitors.
Visitor demographics
Data from the Department of Economy and Tourism indicated that the number of visitors from the Americas reached 1.117 million during the first eleven months of this year, representing 7 percent of the total. Visitors from Africa numbered 791,000, or approximately 5 percent, while Australia contributed 319,000 visitors, accounting for about 2 percent of the international visitor tally for the same period.
Hotel room availability
By the end of November, the total number of hotel rooms in Dubai had reached 153,390 across 828 hospitality establishments, compared to 149,685 hotel rooms in 820 establishments at the end of November 2023.
The number of hotel room bookings during the first eleven months of last year surpassed 39.19 million, reflecting a 3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, when bookings totaled 38.01 million.
Guests stayed an average of 3.6 nights during the first eleven months of the year.
The inventory of available 5-star hotel rooms stood at 53,977 across 168 establishments, making up 35 percent of Dubai’s total hotel room capacity. The 4-star category included 43,345 rooms spread across 194 properties.
For accommodations rated between one and three stars, there were 29,701 hotel rooms in 278 establishments. Additionally, luxury hotel apartments numbered 13,944 across 80 establishments, while mid-range hotel apartments totaled 12,423 rooms in 108 properties.
The average daily rate (ADR) for the first eleven months was AED520, reflecting a 2 percent increase from AED510 in 2023. The average revenue per available room (RevPAR) was AED405, which is a 3 percent rise compared to AED394 in the previous year.
