Dubai attracts record 9.31 million international visitors in first half of 2024

The emirate is 'on track' for a record performance as the number of tourists climbs 9 per cent in the first six months of this year

Kite Surf Beach in Dubai, with the city's skyline in the backdrop. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai hosted 9.31 million overnight international visitors from January to June this year, up by about 9 per cent annually, aided by the emirate's push to strengthen and expand its tourism sector.

The growth in the first six months of the year puts the emirate “on track” for a record performance in 2024, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday.

“The strong tourism growth achieved by Dubai in the first half of 2024 is a testament to the city’s ability to foster productive public-private partnerships and build extensive global networks of collaboration,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Deputy Prime Minister, (Minister of Defence) and Crown Prince of Dubai.

“With every year, Dubai continues to consolidate its status as a front-runner in the global tourism landscape and grow in popularity as an international destination. We remain committed to maintaining this successful trajectory and boosting the tourism sector's contribution to Dubai's GDP,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

Proximity markets in the six-member economic bloc of GCC, as well as the wider Middle East and North Africa region, had a combined 26 per cent share of overall visitors to the emirate, accounting for 1.27 million and 1.09 million arrivals, respectively.

Western Europe followed with 20 per cent of the aggregate number, with 1.89 million visitors to Dubai. South Asia was another major source market with 1.62 million visitors, while the Central Asia Eastern Europe accounted for 1.37 million overnight travellers, the media office said, citing Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) data.

North-East and South-east Asia grew from an 8 per cent share at the beginning of the year to 10 per cent by the end of the six-month period, driven by strong recovery from China, data showed.

The jump in tourist arrivals kept the emirate's hotels busy, with average occupancy during the period through to the end of June rising to 78.7 per cent, up from 77.7 per cent in the same period of 2023.

Revenue per available room, a hospitality industry performance metric, stood at Dh439 in the first six months of the year, up 6 per cent on an annual basis, the Media Office said.

"This robust performance...validates the ambition and agility driving Dubai’s tourism and wider economy," said Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of the DET said.

"Our success stems from a diversified market approach, strong public-private partnerships, liberal visa policies, and alternative growth pathways," he added.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) expects to handle a record 91 million passengers this year, as demand for travel continues to surge and local airlines – Emirates and low-cost carrier flydubai – expand their networks.

The airport handled more than 23 million passengers in the first three months of this year – up 8.4 per cent annually – marking its “busiest quarter in history”, operator Dubai Airports said in a statement in May.

With 7.9 million passengers, January recorded the highest traffic this year.

Earlier this month, Dubai unveiled plans for the construction of the emirate's longest public beach in Jebel Ali, which is set to serve as a major eco-tourism destination.

Sheikh Hamdan approved the master plan for the Jebel Ali Beach Development Project, which will stretch 6.6km and will allow visitors to watch turtles in their natural habitat.

It is part of a wider strategy to revamp Dubai's public beaches and increase their size by 400 per cent under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

The UAE's tourism sector is projected to make up 12 per cent of the country's GDP this year, up from 11.7 per cent in 2023, the Emirates News Agency reported in May.

The Arab world’s second-largest economy expanded by 3.6 per cent last year, according to the Central Bank of the UAE.