Dubai Attracts 5.5 Million Visitors in H1 of 2013

Figures show an 11.1 per cent increase in visitor numbers, on track to achieve Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020 of 20 million tourists annually

Dubai hotel and hotel apartment operators revenues rise 18.6 per cent to AED 11.6 billion

More than 5.5 million tourists visited Dubai in the first half of 2013, representing an 11.1 per cent year-on-year increase, indicating that Dubai is on the way to achieving its Tourism Vision for 2020. The first half visitor number results, released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) today, show increases across all key indicators, including hotel establishment guests, Dubai hotel and hotel apartment revenues, room occupancy and average length of stay.

Announced earlier this year under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and spearheaded by DTCM, Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020 sets out how the city will double its annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020.  Major regional airlines such as Emirates Airline, Etihad and Qatar Airways are positioned for a robust growth, as well as international carriers such as Lufthansa.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of DTCM commented: “The figures for the first half of 2013 are extremely encouraging and indicate that we are on the way to achieving our Tourism Vision for 2020. Our strategy is to position Dubai as a foremost destination for both leisure and business travellers by continuously evolving our broad and diverse tourism offering, and attracting visitors from a range of source markets, including targeting a new generation of first-time travellers from emerging markets. The increase in visitors from each of our key source markets is particularly encouraging, with a number of these markets showing particularly strong growth, including the GCC countries, China, India, Australia and many countries in Europe.”