The UAE Ministry of Economy has confirmed that the country's tourism sector continues to achieve positive results, enhancing its contribution to the growth and sustainability of the national economy. They noted an increase in hotel revenues, which reached over AED 24.6 billion (approximately US$ 6.7 billion) during the first half of 2024, marking a 7% growth compared to the same period in 2023.
The number of hotel guests across the seven emirates soared to nearly 15.3 million in the first six months of 2024, a substantial 10.5% increase from the previous year, highlighting the sector's growing popularity.
The UAE's airports reported significant passenger growth in the first half of this year, a testament to the country's robust travel services and air transport infrastructure. The country's ongoing investment in infrastructure development and expansion has increased the total airport capacity to over 160 million passengers.
Positive growth in passenger traffic through the country's airports during the first half of 2024, with a 14.2% increase, was recorded. The total number of passengers received during the first six months of this year was more than 71.75 million, compared to 62.79 million in the same period last year.
The total number of hotel rooms in the UAE also substantially expanded to 213,741 rooms by the end of the first half of this year, a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In addition, the total number of guest nights in hotel facilities in the seven Emirates increased to more than 53 million nights during the first half of 2024, a 10% growth compared to last year.
The hotel occupancy rate in the country reached 79.5% during the first six months of this year, which is among the highest in the world. This represents a 3.7% growth compared to the same period in 2023.