Dubai’s First Quarter Inbound Arrivals Just 2 Percent Shy of 2019 Levels

Dubai welcomed 4.67 million international overnight visitors in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 3.97 million tourists during the same period in 2022, according to the latest data published by the Department of Economy and Tourism. This marks a 17 percent year-on-year growth and the city’s best first quarter performance since the pandemic. The number of visitors in in the first quarter was just two percentage points short of pre-pandemic volume of 4.75 million tourists that arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019. Dubai’s traditional source markets in its key regions continued to perform strongly during the first quarter of the year. The Gulf as well as the Middle East and Northern Africa region collectively contributed 29 percent of total volumes, while Western Europe accounted for 22 percent of tourism arrivals, and South Asia accounted for 16 percent of total international visitation. “The tourism sector is not only the strongest pillars of our economy but also a key enabler of Dubai’s distinctive role in the world as a bridge between markets, cultures and regions,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. The crown prince said Dubai would continue to introduce new initiatives to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s best place to live, visit, work and invest in. “The first quarter has set us off on a very strong trajectory for the year and is driving us closer towards realizing the vision of making Dubai the most visited and re-visited destination,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.

United Arab Emirates-based tour operator Holiday Factory announced the launch of its new brand, Holiday Factory Premium, at the Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai on Monday. With a rapidly expanding expatriate population the UAE market boasts of a distinct demographic makeup, as a result disposable income has risen significantly leading to a surge in demand for high-end vacations, said Namrata Bhatia, director marketing at Holiday Factory. Holiday Factory premium’s General Manager Sandra Dammrich said around one-third of the population in the country is seeking premium holidays and is underserved with all-inclusive packages.

Gulf-based travel conglomerate Kanoo Travel and destination management company Desert Adventures Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding to estab