Dubai marks best Q1 tourism performance since 2019

Dubai’s tourism sector has marked its best first quarter performance since the start of the pandemic, with the city welcoming 4.67 million international overnight visitors in Q1, 2023, up 17% year on year (YoY).

Based on official data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the result was just two percent shy of the 4.75 million visitors Dubai welcomed in the first three months of 2019.

Western Europe accounted for the largest proportion (22%) of arrivals, followed by South Asia with 16%, the GCC with 15% and MENA with 14%.

India was once again the top source country with 612,000 visitors, up 63% YoY, followed by Russia (358,000 arrivals; +89% YoY), the United Kingdom (299,000; +9% YoY), Saudi Arabia (289,000; -9% YoY), and Oman (278,000; -40% YoY).

Dubai’s fastest-growing source markets were China (94,000; +239% YoY) and Israel (125,000; +123% YoY).

The impressive rise in inbound arrivals also benefitted Dubai’s hotel sector, with the citywide occupancy rate reaching 83.1%, just 0.6% down on the same period in 2019. The industry outperformed Q1, 2019 across all other key indices, with the average daily rate reaching AED607 (+22%), occupied rooms totalling 10.98m (+27%) and revenue per available room (RevPAR – AED504, +21%).

“The tourism sector is not only the strongest pillars of our economy but also a key enabler of Dubai’s distinctive role in the world as a bridge between markets, cultures and regions,” commented HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.

“The first quarter has set us off on a very strong trajectory for the year and is driving us closer towards realising the vision of making Dubai the [world’s] most-visited and re-visited destination,” added Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of DET.