DUBAI: The UAE’s tourism revenue reached 19 billion dirhams ($5.17 billion) in the first half of 2022, its vice president tweeted.
The number of hotel guests rose 42 percent year on year to 12 million, and there will be “a strong tourism recovery during the upcoming winter season,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and the UAE’s prime minister.
Over 7 million international visitors visited Dubai during the first half of 2022, an increase of over 183 percent year-on-year, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
The official Emirates News Agency WAM said that Dubai is on track to meet its tourism goals for 2022 due to tourist visits and activity increasing.
In the first half of this year, the emirate recorded a similar number of tourists to what it recorded in the first half of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city of the future and the world’s best place to live, work and invest in has resulted in a resurgence of Dubai’s tourism sector,” Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum said in a statement.
A rise in tourists reflected the emirate’s economic resilience and dynamism, he said.
During the period between January and June this year, the Middle East and North African region accounted for 34 percent of the 7.12 million tourists, Western Europe accounted for 22 percent, South Asia accounted for 16 percent, and Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States countries, and eastern Europe accounted for 11 percent.
All key hospitality metrics, including occupied room nights, average daily rates, and revenue per room, outperformed pre-pandemic levels.
During this period, Dubai hotels delivered 18.47 million occupied room nights, an increase of 30.4 percent year-over-year and 18 percent over pre-COVID levels in the first half 2019 of 15.71 million.
“The rapid rise in international tourist arrivals puts Dubai on track to achieve its ambitious target of becoming the world’s most visited destination. In the years ahead, Dubai will continue to develop itself further as a destination that offers compelling value to international travelers,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
