Mubasher - Dubai: The Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai revealed the latest statistics related to the performance of the tourism sector and the number of international visitors.

According to statistics, Dubai attracted 16.79 million international tourists in the first 11 months of 2024, compared to 15.37 million tourists in the same period in 2023, achieving a growth of 9 %.

In terms of geographical distribution of visitors, Western Europe topped the list of regions exporting visitors, accounting for 20% of the total number of tourists, recording 3.3 million international tourists.

In second place came the South Asia region with 17%, with 2.86 million tourists, while the Gulf Cooperation Council countries came in third place with 15%, recording about 2.5 million visitors .

As for the rest of the regions, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe recorded 14% of visitors, while the Middle East and North Africa region’s share was 12%, and North and Southeast Asia countries recorded 10% of the total international visitors .

On the other hand, the Americas region recorded more than 1.11 million tourists, representing 7% of the total visitors, while Africa recorded 791 thousand visitors, representing 5%, and the Australasia region recorded 2% of international visitors, at a rate of about 319 thousand tourists .

By the end of November 2024, the number of hotel rooms in Dubai reached 153,390 rooms within 828 hotel establishments, compared to 149,685 rooms in the same period in 2023.

Luxury five-star hotel rooms accounted for 35% of the total hotel market size, with 53.9 thousand rooms in 168 establishments, followed by four-star hotel rooms at 28% with 43.3 thousand rooms in 194 establishments .

Hotels classified between “three stars” and “one star” accounted for 20% of the hotel market, with a total of 29.7 thousand hotel rooms in 278 establishments. Hotel apartments also recorded about 26.3 thousand rooms in 188 establishments, representing 17% of the size of the hotel market in Dubai .

The hotel room occupancy rate in Dubai recorded 78% during the first 11 months of 2024, compared to 77% in the same period the previous year .

On the other hand, international visitors recorded more than 39.19 million overnight stays in Dubai during the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 3% over the same period in 2023, which recorded 38.01 million nights, while the average length of stay for guests was 3.6 nights .

In terms of financial returns, the average daily rate for a hotel room was AED 520, compared to AED 510 in the same period in 2023, and the average return on available rooms increased to AED 405, compared to AED 394 in 2023, reflecting the continuous improvement in the performance of the tourism sector in Dubai.