Dubai has strengthened its status as a top destination on the global tourism map, attracting over 14.96 million international visitors in the first ten months of this year. According to the Department of Economy and Tourism, this marks an 8% increase compared to last year, when the city welcomed 13.9 million visitors.
The data also indicates that Dubai's hotels experienced consistent growth, with room occupancy rates reaching 77% from January to the end of October. This is an increase from the average occupancy rate of 76% during the same time last year.
During the first 10 months of 2024, international visitors recorded more than 35.15 million overnight stays, an increase from 34.19 million overnight stays during the same period in 2023. It represents a 3% growth compared to the previous year. The average stay for visitors between January and October 2024 was approximately 3.6 hotel nights, down from 3.8 nights in the same period of 2023.
The average daily rate per hotel room was AED 502 in 2024, compared to AED 488 in 2023. The average return on booked rooms reached AED 386 in 2024, compared to AED 373 in 2023.
Dubai's hotel capacity has continued to grow with the opening of new hotels. By the end of October 2024, Dubai's total hotel rooms reached 152,500, representing a 2% increase from the 149,070 rooms recorded in 2023. Additionally, the number of hotel establishments rose by 1%, bringing the total to 827 by the end of October 2024, compared to 818 establishments in the same period the previous year.
Five-star luxury hotel rooms represented 35% of the total hotel market in Dubai, with approximately 53,700 hotel rooms across 168 properties. Following this, four-star hotel rooms accounted for 29% of the market, totaling 43,200 hotel rooms across 195 properties.
Three-star and two-star hotels comprised about 19% of the market, offering 29,100 hotel rooms within 276 establishments. Additionally, luxury hotel apartments reached 13,900 units across 80 properties, making up 9% of the hotel market. Medium hotel apartments represented about 8% of the market, with approximately 12,400 apartments in 108 properties.
The data revealed that Western Europe contributed 20 percent of the total number of visitors to Dubai, equating to 2.9 million. Following this, South Asia accounted for 17 percent of the visitors, corresponding to 2.5 million people. The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) represented 15 percent of the total, with 2.2 million visitors.
Additionally, 14 percent of visitors came from the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe, totaling 2 million visitors. The Middle East and N. Africa (MENA) region contributed 12 percent, amounting to 1.7 million visitors, while North and Southeast Asia accounted for 10 percent, with 1.4 million visitors.
Visitors from the Americas comprised 7 percent of the total, 986,000, while 5 percent came from Africa, 713,000. Finally, Australia contributed 2 percent of Dubai's visitors, 292,000 individuals.
This year's increase in international visitors results from the emirate's comprehensive strategies implemented across several key pillars of the tourism sector, including sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation, among other essential factors.
