Foreign tourists in Dubai hit 17m in 11 months of 2024

International tourist arrivals to Dubai rose by 9 percent to 16.8 million in the first 11 months of 2024, compared to 15.4 million during the same period in 2023, according to official data.

Western Europe remained the top source region, accounting for 3.3 million visitors, or 20 percent of the total, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, citing data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

South Asia ranked second with 2.9 million tourists, accounting for 17 percent of total visitors, followed by the GCC countries with 2.5 million tourists (15 percent), and the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe with 2.4 million visitors (14 percent).

The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region ranked fifth, sending 1.9 million tourists (12 percent), while northeast and southeast Asia accounted for 1.6 million visitors (10 percent).

Tourists from the Americas reached 1.1 million (7 percent), followed by Africa with 791,000 (5 percent) and Australia with 319,000 (2 percent).

The number of rooms in Dubai stood at 153,390 in 828 hotels at the end of November 2024, compared to 149,685 in 820 hotels a year ago.

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The number of hotel rooms booked exceeded 39 million, an increase of 3 percent year on year. The average length of stay for guests was 3.6 nights this year.

The city’s five-star hotels offered 53,977 rooms across 168 properties, representing 35 percent of the total inventory. Four-star hotels accounted for 43,345 rooms in 194 properties.

The average daily rate for hotel stays during the period rose by 2 percent to AED520 ($141.6), compared to AED510 in 2023. Revenue per available room also increased by 3 percent, reaching AED405, compared to AED394 a year ago.