Dubai's 2022 tourism performance further validated its ranking as the No. 1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2023 for the second consecutive year, making it just the second city in history to accomplish the feat
Image for representational purpose only. Photo courtesy: istock
According to the recent statistics released by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, the city welcomed 14.36 million foreign overnight tourists in 2022, an increase of 97 percent YoY from the 7.28 million visitors who arrived in 2021.
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In order to solidify Dubai's position as one of the top three cities in the world for business and travel, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. This growth allowed the emirate to surpass regional and global tourism recovery levels.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai said, "Dubai's ability to rapidly accelerate tourism growth, which has marked it out as a clear frontrunner in the international industry, demonstrates the far-reaching vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to transform the emirate into an important global player in shaping the future of vital sectors. The remarkable rise in international visitation in 2022 supports the ambitious goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to double the size of the emirate's economy by 2033. The tourism and travel sector contributes significantly to the leadership's aim of making the emirate a model for excellence in the global economy."
"The exceptional growth in the inflow of visitors reflects Dubai's continued rise as one of the world's most connected cities and its determination to lead the world in hospitality infrastructure and service levels. The high growth shows the world that we never rest on our achievements and constantly work to raise our benchmarks. I am confident that Dubai will be an even greater catalyst for the growth of global tourism and travel connectivity in the years ahead."
Dubai's 2022 tourism performance further validated its ranking as the No. 1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2023 for the second consecutive year, making it just the second city in history to accomplish the feat. In 2019, Dubai's pre-pandemic visitation of 16.73 million was approaching. According to the most recent statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), worldwide tourism in 2022 was 37 per cent lower than in 2019. The Middle East experienced the greatest proportional growth, with arrivals rising to 83 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Dubai outperformed both international and regional recovery indicators, with visitors to the city hitting 86 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022.
Hospitality sector achieves significant growth
Dubai's hotel sector, which continues to be integral to the emirate's destination promise and the overall growth of the tourism industry, continued to perform strongly across all hospitality metrics.
Average occupancy for the hotel sector in 2022 stood at 73 per cent, one of the highest in the world, rising from 67 per cent in 2021. The figure is just short of the 75 per cent occupancy in the pre-pandemic period of 2019. The high occupancy is particularly noteworthy as it was achieved despite a 16 per cent increase in room supply in 2022 compared to 2019. Dubai's hotel inventory at the end of December 2022 comprised of 146,496 rooms at 804 hotel establishments, compared to 126, 120 rooms available at the end of December 2019 across 741 establishments. The total number of hotels in 2022 marked a six per cent growth over 2021, with 755 hotel establishments offering 137,950 rooms, figures that highlight the continued strong investor confidence in Dubai's tourism sector.
The hotel sector outperformed pre-pandemic levels across all other key measurements - Occupied Room Nights, Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR). Occupied room nights reached a record high of 37.43 million room nights in 2022, registering a 19 per cent increase vs. 2021 (31.47 million) and a 17 per cent increase over the pre-pandemic period of 2019, which yielded 32.11 million occupied room nights.
The ADR of AED536 in 2022 surpassed the ADRs for both 2021 (AED451) and 2019 (AED415), with 19 per cent and 29 per cent increases respectively. The hotel sector's robust performance is also evident in its RevPAR growth - an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2021 (AED391 v AED301) and an increase of 25 per cent over the pre-pandemic period of 2019 (RevPAR of AED312).
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