Dubai records 3% increase in tourists during H1 2019, at 8.36 million

• India was the biggest source market during the period with 997,000 visitors
• Room inventory increased 6% to reach 118,345 at the end of June
• Average occupancy for the Dubai’s hotels stood at 76%

Dubai welcomed 8.36 million international overnight visitors in the first six months of 2019, recording a 3% increase from the same period a year ago, figures from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) showed.

With 997,000 visitors, India was the biggest source market during the period despite airline capacity challenges and largely due to successful campaigns across accessible Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. The travel share of Indian families with children increased 10 percentage points from 24% to 34%.

Occupying the second place was Saudi Arabia with 755,000 travellers followed by the UK with 586,000 visitors despite Brexit woes and a weak British pound. Tourist numbers from China grew 11% on year to reach 501,000 and Oman recorded 499,000 visitors.

In terms of hotel inventory, across a total of 714 establishments in Dubai, room inventory stood at 118,345 at the end of June 2019, representing a rise of 6%. Average occupancy for the emirate’s hotels stood at 76% with a combined 15.71 million occupied room nights during the first six months of the year, representing a 5% increase over the same period in 2018.

Luxury four-star and five-star hotels commanded 25% and 34%, respectively, of the emirate’s total inventory, whilst properties in the one-to-three-star categories represented a share of 20%.

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