TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Tourist footfall reflects YoY growth of 97%, as per latest data of Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
TT Bureau
The growth, which enabled the emirate to surpass global and regional tourism recovery levels, contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the world’s top three cities for travel and business.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai said, “Dubai’s ability to accelerate tourism growth has marked it out as a frontrunner in the global industry, demonstrating the vision to transform the emirate into a global player. The rise in international visitation in 2022 supports the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to double the size of the emirate’s economy by 2033. The tourism and travel sector contribute to the leadership’s aim of making Dubai a model for excellence in the global economy.”
Continuing, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “The growth in the inflow of visitors reflects Dubai’s rise as one of the world’s most connected cities and its determination to lead the world in hospitality infra. The high growth shows the world we never rest on our laurels and work to raise our benchmarks. I am confident Dubai will be a catalyst of growth for global tourism and travel linkage.”
By closing in on its pre-COVID visitation of 16.73 million in 2019, Dubai’s 2022 tourism performance validated its ranking as the topglobal destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023 for the second year in a row. Dubai is the second city in history to achieve the feat. The Middle East saw the relative increase, with arrivals climbing to 83 per cent of pre-COVID numbers. Dubai exceeded both global and regional barometers of recovery with visitors in 2022 reaching 86 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General
Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said, “Aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s most visited and re-visited destination, the performance of our industry in 2022 shows the progress made by the city over the past two years. Dubai’s robust performance is testament to its growing role at the vanguard of global tourism recovery. The growth also shows tourism contributes to the city’s economic growth and sustainable development, driving the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to reinforce Dubai’s status as one of world’s top three cities.”
His Excellency Almarri said, “The effectiveness of our strategies gives us the confidence to tap growth opportunities in the travel and business sectors over the next few decades. As the fastest growing city in the Middle East, Dubai’s growth has been made possible by the unwavering support of our stakeholders, partners, strategic investments, and federal policy reforms leading to global entrepreneurs, talent, investors, and business and leisure travelers.”
His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, “As Dubai continues to grow in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, it is committed to moving to the next level with new and unique world-class infrastructure, experiences, and attractions. Dubai’s growing profile as a safe, open, and accessible destination saw the city being chosen as the top global destination for the second year in a row in the Tripadvisor awards. Our partners played a vital role and their participation in all our campaigns and marketing activities that have driven consideration for Dubai as the destination of choice for global travelers.”
Hospitality achieves growth
Dubai’s hotel sector continued to perform strongly across all hospitality metrics. Average occupancy in 2022 stood at 73 per cent, highest in the world, rising from 67 per cent in 2021. The figure is shy of the 75 per cent occupancy in 2019. The high room occupancy is noteworthy as it achieved a 16 per cent increase in 2022 as compared to 2019.
