Emirates Tourism Industry Flourishes, Dubai Attracts 20% International Tourists In 2023 (image-instagram/visit.dubai)

Dubai, in the year 2023, welcomed 15.37 million international tourists during the first 11 months, a 20 percent increase compared to its previous year. The Emirates tourism sector has made a strong rebound after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The emirate which has now shown a surge in tourism members, was ranked the world’s most popular destination for holidaymakers in Tripadvisor’s 2023 Travellers’ Choice Awards for a second year in a row. Roughly two million tourists from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Eastern Europe contributed 13 percent of the total number of people visiting Dubai, the data showed.

According to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, European tourists topped the list with 19 percent of the total number of visitors. It is then followed by South Asia with 18 percent and then GCC countries with 16 percent.

Dubai International Airport welcomed 2.9 million passengers in the third quarter of 2023, the highest quarterly traffic since 2019.

The jump in the tourist arrival kept the emirate’s hotel busy with an average occupancy during the year through to November rising to 77.2 per cent. In 2022, the date was 72.6 percent over the same period. Hotel guests stayed 3.8 nights on average in the first 11 months of last year.

An initiative part of the UAE’s domestic tourism strategy was launched in December 2020, under the name ‘Most Beautiful Winter in the World’. This was launched by the Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aiming to develop an integrated tourism system at the state level to organize and boost local tourism, reports Economy Middle East.

The new campaign aims to stimulate domestic tourism and attract tourism from all over the world to enjoy winter in the Emirates and all other attractions provided by the country.