Dubai hotel guest arrivals grew 5.6 per cent in 2014

2014 was a good year for Dubai's hotel industry, with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) having published a number of encouraging statistics.

The organisation revealed that some 11.63 million guests stayed in the emirate's hotel last year, which represents growth of 5.6 per cent compared to 2013.

A total of 44.66 million guest nights were recorded in Dubai over the 12-month period, up 7.4 per cent from the year before. The average duration of a visitor's stay increased from 3.78 days to 3.84 days. 

He said that at the start of last year Dubai was home to 84,534 hotel rooms across 611 properties. By the end of 2014, this had grown to 92,333 rooms in 657 properties.

"The figures indicate that our hospitality industry is in a healthy state and, most importantly, that the growth is sustainable, which is crucial when it comes to meeting our vision for 2020 targets," Mr Almarri added.

With the emirate's authorities working tirelessly to ensure the target of attracting 20 million tourists to Dubai each year is achieved, the figures for 2014 are likely to only represent the start of a period of impressive growth for the hotel industry.

A total of 46 new hotels joined the market last year, leading to a 9.2 per cent increase in available rooms.