Dubai Receives 14.36 Million International Visitors in 2022

Dubai acquired 14.36 million worldwide in a single day guests in 2022, rising 97 per cent YoY from the 7.28 million vacationer arrivals in 2021, in response to the most recent knowledge printed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The development, which enabled the emirate to surpass international and regional tourism restoration ranges, contributes to the aim of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate Dubai’s standing as one of many world’s prime three cities for journey and enterprise.

By closing in on its pre-pandemic visitation of 16.73 million in 2019, Dubai’s 2022 tourism efficiency additional validated its rating because the No.1 international vacation spot within the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023 for the second successive 12 months, solely the second metropolis in historical past to attain the feat. The newest knowledge from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reveals that international vacationer journey in 2022 was 37 per cent decrease than 2019. The Middle East noticed the strongest relative enhance, with arrivals climbing to 83 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers. Dubai exceeded each international and regional barometers of restoration with guests to the town in 2022 reaching 86 per cent of pre-pandemic ranges.

Dubai’s worldwide markets preserve momentum

The sturdy efficiency in 2022 options some noteworthy spikes in Dubai’s conventional key markets and powerful development throughout rising markets. Dubai remained a first-choice protected journey vacation spot for guests from the town’s stronghold markets.

From a regional perspective, Western Europe and GCC areas every accounted for a 21 per cent share of arrivals. The GCC area specifically noticed an exponential enhance of their share of arrivals from 13 per cent in 2021 to 21 per cent final 12 months. South Asia contributed 17 per cent of whole volumes whereas the MENA area contributed 12 per cent, additional reinforcing Dubai’s continued attraction to travellers from proximity markets. The Americas accounted for seven per cent of arrivals whereas the North Asia and South East Asia area and Africa every contributed 5 per cent and Australasia accounted for 2 per cent.

His Excellency, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, stated: “As Dubai continues to grow exponentially in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 launched by our visionary leadership to make Dubai one of the world’s top three cities for tourism and business, it remains committed to moving to the next level with new and unique world-class infrastructure, experiences and attractions. The sheer diversity of the destination proposition and Dubai’s growing profile as a safe, open and accessible destination saw the city being chosen as the No.1 global destination for the second year in a row in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023. Our partners played a pivotal role in achieving the No.1 ranking with their contributions to both Dubai’s tourism growth and the sector’s global rebound, as well as their active participation in all our global campaigns and marketing activities that have driven consideration for Dubai as the destination of choice for global travellers. The exceptional support of our public and private sector stakeholders and partners will be instrumental in raising our ability to showcase our unmatched offering designed to meet the diverse preferences and budgets of international travellers, as we gear up to welcome more visitors to Dubai in 2023.”

Hospitality sector achieves important development

Dubai’s resort sector, which continues to be integral to the emirate’s vacation spot promise and the general development of the tourism business, continued to carry out strongly throughout all hospitality metrics.

Average occupancy for the resort sector in 2022 stood at 73 per cent, one of many highest on this planet, rising from 67 per cent in 2021. The determine is simply in need of the 75 per cent occupancy within the pre-pandemic interval of 2019. The excessive occupancy is especially noteworthy because it was achieved regardless of a 16 per cent enhance in room provide in 2022 in comparison with 2019. Dubai’s resort stock on the finish of December 2022 comprised of 146,496 rooms at 804 resort institutions, in comparison with 126,120 rooms out there on the finish of December 2019 throughout 741 institutions. The whole variety of motels in 2022 marked a six per cent development over 2021, with 755 resort institutions providing 137,950 rooms, figures that spotlight the continued sturdy investor confidence in Dubai’s tourism sector.

The resort sector outperformed pre-pandemic ranges throughout all different key measurements – Occupied Room Nights, Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). Occupied room nights reached a document excessive of 37.43 million room nights in 2022, registering a 19 per cent enhance vs. 2021 (31.47 million) and a 17 per cent enhance over the pre-pandemic interval of 2019, which yielded 32.11 million occupied room nights.

The ADR of AED536 in 2022 surpassed the ADRs for each 2021 (AED451) and 2019 (AED415), with 19 per cent and 29 per cent will increase respectively. The resort sector’s sturdy efficiency can also be evident in its RevPAR development – a rise of 30 per cent in comparison with 2021 (AED391 v AED301) and a rise of 25 per cent over the pre-pandemic interval of 2019 (RevPAR of AED312).

Celebrity-led international campaigns

One of the driving elements behind Dubai’s success in 2022 could be attributed to charming international campaigns carried out in collaboration with regional and worldwide celebrities, opinion leaders, influencers and group personalities that highlighted the town’s distinctive attraction and dropped at life the myriad experiences it presents. One such marketing campaign is Dubai Presents, which takes a novel strategy to international vacation spot advertising and marketing, utilizing a extremely stylised film strategy to create participating content material. Shot in opposition to the backdrop of a few of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks and distinctive hidden places, these brief movies characteristic Hollywood stars like Jessica Alba and Zac Efron. The ‘Where the World Celebrates’ international marketing campaign that coincided with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar featured French soccer star Karim Benzema.

International occasions vacation spot

One of the largest success tales of the area in 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai, made an enormous contribution to the tourism business’s excellent efficiency. The six-month lengthy occasion, which attracted over 24 million visits, as soon as once more proved Dubai’s potential to host mega international occasions and bolstered its place as a world occasions vacation spot.

Dubai seeks to additional improve its vacation spot proposition throughout all tourism pillars, leveraging the retail and occasions sectors to draw extra home and international guests. In addition to Expo 2020, Dubai continued to host international enterprise and leisure occasions throughout 2022 together with Gulfood, the World Government Summit, Binance Blockchain Week, Gitex Global Dubai, the International Boat Show and the Arabian Travel Market. In addition to this, the town additionally hosted the Skift Global Forum East, the first-ever worldwide extension of the world’s flagship journey convention, the Skift Global Forum. At this occasion, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism introduced the launch of an annual Dubai Tourism Summit.

Every 12 months, as a part of its Retail Calendar, the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment workforce (DFRE) organises main festivals and occasions together with the long-lasting internationally-renowned Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises and Dubai Fitness Challenge. In 2022, DFRE additionally launched the inaugural Dubai Esports Festival, the biggest worldwide esports event to be held within the area.

A number one sports activities tourism vacation spot, Dubai additionally hosts an in depth line-up of annual international sports activities tournaments and occasions , attracting sporting icons, gamers and followers from world wide. In 2022 the town’s worldwide sporting calendar included the Dubai World Cup horse race, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s, the Dubai Desert Classic golf event and the DP World Tour championship, to call a couple of. Dubai pulled out all stops to allow residents and visiting followers to benefit from the FIFA World Cup 2022 at buzzing hotspots within the metropolis. Dubai was chosen as certainly one of six cities globally to host an official FIFA Fan Festival, making Dubai a focus for the worldwide soccer fraternity.

Culinary innovation and accolades

Dubai’s culinary sector was a major driver of development in 2022, with the town’s wealthy, inventive and multi-cultural eating scene attracting guests and accolades from throughout the globe. Dubai’s eclectic gastronomic scene options round 13,000 eating places and cafés, starting from homegrown eateries to connoisseur establishments and positive eating eating places, providing various cuisines. The metropolis’s thriving culinary panorama was recognised with the launch of the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Dubai in June 2022. The first regional version of the world’s most prestigious restaurant information featured a complete of 69 eating places, together with 14 Bib Gourmand winners. Further, Dubai’s eating places and cooks have been recognised within the inaugural version of the Middle East & North Africa area’s 50 Best Restaurants listing unveiled in February 2022, which celebrates culinary excellence throughout the area. The arrival of positive eating meals critique model Gault&Millau additionally contributed to the evolution of the eating scene in Dubai. In 2022, DET launched the area’s first-ever Gastronomy Industry Report, a complete research of the gastronomy scene within the metropolis and the area, reinforcing Dubai’s place as a extremely sought-after international meals tourism vacation spot.

Dubai’s culinary sector was a major driver of development in 2022, with the town’s wealthy, inventive and multi-cultural eating scene attracting guests and accolades from throughout the globe. Dubai’s eclectic gastronomic scene options round 13,000 eating places and cafés, starting from homegrown eateries to connoisseur establishments and positive eating eating places, providing various cuisines. The metropolis’s thriving culinary panorama was recognised with the launch of the inaugural MICHELIN Guide Dubai in June 2022. The first regional version of the world’s most prestigious restaurant information featured a complete of 69 eating places, together with 14 Bib Gourmand winners. Further, Dubai’s eating places and cooks have been recognised within the inaugural version of the Middle East & North Africa area’s 50 Best Restaurants listing unveiled in February 2022, which celebrates culinary excellence throughout the area. The arrival of positive eating meals critique model Gault&Millau additionally contributed to the evolution of the eating scene in Dubai. In 2022, DET launched the area’s first-ever Gastronomy Industry Report, a complete research of the gastronomy scene within the metropolis and the area, reinforcing Dubai’s place as a extremely sought-after international meals tourism vacation spot.

Delivering on sustainability objectives

With sustainability embedded in its tourism technique, Dubai has taken decisive measures to place itself as a best choice for holidaymakers searching for sustainable and protected locations. Throughout 2022, Dubai labored tirelessly to attain the town’s sustainability objectives, led by Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative geared toward elevating the town’s profile as a number one sustainable vacation spot. DST has taken steps to contribute to the town’s broader clear power targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, in addition to the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 technique. With 2023 declared because the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and Expo City Dubai internet hosting COP28, the UN Climate Change convention, the 12 months can be key for advancing Dubai’s imaginative and prescient to boost sustainability and forge international cooperation to handle important points. The final 12 months noticed the launch of ‘Dubai Can’, an modern citywide sustainability initiative, as a part of the drive to remodel the emirate into a number one sustainable vacation spot and the world’s finest metropolis to dwell and work.

Global cruise and yacht tourism vacation spot

Cruise and yacht tourism performed a vital position in attracting worldwide vacationers and strengthening Dubai’s place as a worldwide journey hub in 2022. The enlargement of the cruise sector has additional consolidated Dubai’s standing because the cruise hub of the area. Similarly, with its world-class infrastructure, superior amenities, year-round sunshine, luxurious marinas, award-winning tourism choices, wealthy maritime historical past and picturesque shoreline, Dubai continues to amplify its attraction as a worldwide superyacht hub.

New landmarks and initiatives to spur development

In 2022, quite a lot of new points of interest and initiatives have been launched as a part of the ever-evolving vacation spot proposition. These embody the revealing of the Museum of the Future, Dubai’s new iconic landmark that provides a gateway to a future world. Dubai additionally unveiled Expo City, the dynamic legacy of Expo 2020, an innovation-driven, human centric imaginative and prescient of the long run, and Atlantis The Royal, a mega resort positioned on Palm Jumeirah.

With the implementation of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which goals to develop the emirate’s tourism providing by over 100%, Dubai is on observe to attain its imaginative and prescient of changing into the town of the long run. Moreover, Dubai will launch new initiatives aligned with the UAE 2031 Tourism Strategy, which seeks to draw 40 million visitors by 2031 and enhance the tourism sector’s contribution to the emirate’s GDP to AED 450 billion.

Dubai additionally continues to unveil sturdy regulatory initiatives to advertise the accelerated development of the tourism sector together with hassle-free entry procedures for enterprise and leisure travellers that streamline entry to the emirate by establishing long-term engagement with the town. These embody the 60-day vacationer visa out there from September 2022, and the Five-Year Multi-Entry Visa for workers of multinational corporations, along with the Golden Visa, Virtual Working and Retire in Dubai programmes. In 2022, Dubai was chosen as certainly one of 20 locations globally underneath Airbnb’s Live and Work Anywhere initiative to determine the world’s most distant worker-friendly locations. Airbnb additionally launched the Dubai Remote Working Hub, a one-stop-shop for aspiring distant employees in partnership with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.