Reaffirming that tourism to the Emirate is firmly enroute to new record highs, Dubai received 4.67 million overnight visitors in the first three months of the current year, recording a 17 pc increase over the same period in 2022.

Dubai received 4.67 million international overnight visitors in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 3.97 million tourists during the same period in 2022, marking an increase of 17 pc growth year-on-year, according to the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The data also points that this is Dubai’s best Q1 performance since the pandemic, placing it firmly on track to becoming the most visited international destination.

The growth, which sets the city on course to full tourism recovery, contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai this January, to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the world’s top three cities, according to a press statement.

“The remarkable growth in international visitation achieved by Dubai in the first quarter of 2023 demonstrates the city’s emergence as one of the key destinations leading the way in the rebound of the global tourism sector. This achievement has been made possible by the far-reaching vision of the leadership to transform Dubai into one of the world’s fastest-growing metropolises and the globe’s pre-eminent hub for travel, talent, entrepreneurship and investment. 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. In the years ahead, Dubai will continue to introduce new pathbreaking initiatives to offer a distinctive proposition for travellers and achieve its goal of becoming the world’s best place to live, visit, work and invest in,’’ says Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The latest figures position Dubai as the fastest recovering destination globally, achieving 98 pc of pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023, and exceeding the projection made by the United Nations World Trade Organisation that international tourist arrivals could reach between 80-95 pc of pre-pandemic levels this year, especially in Europe and the Middle East, says the statement.

Dubai’s performance in Q1 2023 is close behind its highest-ever tourist arrivals of 4.75 million tourists that arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019.

“Q1 2023 has set us off on a very strong trajectory for the year and is driving us closer towards realising the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai to make Dubai the most visited and re-visited destination. The positive industry performance is an endorsement of our well-defined strategy, and a testament to the unwavering support of our tourism industry partners and stakeholders. The coming decade will see our industry going through extraordinary phases of transformation, in terms of infrastructure, technology, attractions and experiences, as we focus on achieving the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda 2033,’’ says Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

“To maintain Dubai’s global appeal as the first-choice destination for travellers, we will continue to follow the multi-pronged blueprint that largely contributed to our success in 2022 – evolving the destination promise, a multi-geographic approach to markets, constant international outreach through global campaigns, hosting international MICE, business and leisure events, and further improving stakeholder relationships. As we look ahead to further accelerating momentum in our tourism sector, the pillars of sustainability, gastronomy, trade, and technology will form the foundation of our future success. Notably, this year is declared as UAE’s ‘Year of Sustainability,’ marking a major milestone for us, as the city prepares to host COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference. Sustainability will form the core of all that we do, incorporating sustainable practices into every aspect of the visitor experience to advance our journey towards becoming the world’s best city to live and work in,” he adds.

According to the DET data, Dubai’s traditional source markets delivered solid tourism volumes during the first quarter of the year with key regions continuing to make an impact on international visitation, further underscoring the success of the city’s diversified multi-geographic strategy. GCC and MENA together topped the source markets, collectively contributing to 29  pc of total volumes, while Western Europe accounted for 22  pc of tourist arrivals, while South Asia accounted for 16 pc of total international visitation.

Accordingly, Dubai’s hotels, too, saw a surge in performance during the first quarter of 2023. Average occupancy for the sector during the January-March period stood at an impressive 83 pc, making it one of the highest in the world, and almost on par with the 84 pc occupancy recorded in Q1 2019. This high level of occupancy has been achieved despite the fact that total room capacity has increased by 26 pc in the interim.

By the end of March 2023, the city’s hotel sector had a total of 148,877 rooms in 814 hotel establishments compared to 118,039 rooms in 717 hotel establishments in 2019.