Dubai Welcomed 9.31 Million International Visitors From Jan - June 2024

Dubai has continued its strong tourism growth in 2024, welcoming 9.31 million international overnight visitors from January to June, a 9% increase compared to the 8.55 million arrivals during the same period in 2023.

This positive trend follows a record-breaking year in 2023, during which the city hosted 17.15 million international tourists, setting the stage for another potentially record-setting year.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, praised this achievement. He highlighted that the city's success in the first half of 2024 demonstrates its capacity to cultivate productive public-private partnerships and build extensive global networks.

"With every year, Dubai continues to consolidate its status as a frontrunner in the global tourism landscape and grow in popularity as an international destination," Sheikh Hamdan remarked. He also emphasized the commitment to enhancing Dubai's infrastructure and services to set new benchmarks and records in 2024, thereby boosting the tourism sector's contribution to the city's GDP.

This growth aligns with the first-year success of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which focuses on solidifying Dubai's status as a leading global city for business and leisure. Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, succeeded due to a diversified market approach, strong public-private partnerships, liberal visa policies, and alternative growth pathways. These factors have been key drivers of increased leisure and business visitation, as well as investment and inflows of global talent.

Regarding visitor demographics, proximity markets in the GCC and MENA accounted for 26% of total visits in the first half of 2024, with the GCC contributing 1.27 million visitors (14%) and MENA contributing 1.09 million visitors (12%). Western Europe was another significant source market, with 1.89 million visitors (20%). South Asia followed closely, with 1.62 million tourists (17%), while the CIS and Eastern Europe regions contributed 1.37 million visitors (15%).

Notably, there was a robust rebound from China, with North-East and South-East Asia visitors' share rising from 8% at the beginning of the year to 10% (896,000) by the end of H1 2024. The Americas accounted for 617,000 visitors (7%), Africa for 404,000 visitors (4%), and Australasia for 154,000 visitors (2%).

As the influx of tourists continues, demand for hotels in Dubai is outstripping supply. Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), emphasized the importance of support from partners and stakeholders in driving strong global and market-specific campaigns throughout the summer and the rest of 2024.

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