Rapid Growth in Dubai’s Tourism
Launch of mega projects in the UAE is supporting sector’s rapid expansion, keeping it on track to achieve long-term growth targets. The launch of mega projects in Dubai and the economic momentum carried forward from last year has set the emirate for growth in the tourist sector this year by putting on track to achieve it long-term growth objectives.
The growth of the tourist industry remains the front and centre ambition of the emirate and is set to be a major contributor to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, the Dubai Media Office, said on Friday.
“Dubai’s ability to simultaneously leverage new opportunities and industry trends whilst navigating the impact of global challenges has made it one of the worlds most attractive and fastest growing tourist and economic cities,” said Helal Almari, director general of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
“With a unique and diverse tourism proposition, diversified market strategy, world leading urban infrastructure, inclusive and cohesive public-private partnership ecosystem and high safety and security, Dubai continues to be preferred choice for global travellers.” The tourism industry in Dubai started the year on a bright note with vital growth. This gives the emirate a head start in achieving its target over the next decade. The emirate economy has strongly rebounded from the coronavirus –induced slowdown as Dubai International Airport remained the worlds busiest international hub for passengers last year for the ninth year in a row, ranking by the Airport International showed in April.
The emirate recorded 14.36 million international visitors in 2022, inching closer to the 16.73 million tourists in 2019, according to DET statistics.
It now aims to exceed the pre-pandemic annual number of international visitors this year, after the emirate recorded a 17 per cent increase in the tourist numbers in the first quarter of 2023, Issam Kazim, chief executive of the Dubai Department for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), told The National during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Monday. The DET data showed, Dubai hosted 4.67 million overnight visitors in the three months to the end of March, compared to 3.97 million tourists during the same period in 2022. Growth of the tourism industry is also supported by the robust economic momentum in the emirate. Emirates NBD estimates Dubai's full-year 2022 growth at 5 per cent and expects the emirate’s GDP to grow by 3.5 per cent in 2023. The media office said, citing the World Travel and Tourism Council data, in 2022, the emirate’s tourism sector contributed $29.4 billion to its economy.
Dubai’s plans for tourism growth also support the national strategy launched in November last year by to attract Dh100 billion in additional tourism investments and receive 40 million hotel guests in 2031.
The Media Office said, the recent investments have also led to the growth of Dubai’s hotel stock to 148,877 rooms in 814 hotels compared to 118,039 rooms in 717 hotels in 2019, a rise of 26 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, the media office said.Citing KMPG Data, another 8,000 rooms are expected to be delivered by the end of 2023
