Dubai attracted 19.59 million international overnight visitors last year, marking a 5 per cent annual increase, with hotel room inventory and occupancy also on the rise.
The city welcomed more than two million visitors in December, the first time it has reached that figure in one calendar month, data published by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) showed on Monday.
“The tourism sector is one of the key drivers of economic diversification and sustainable growth, in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33," said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. "We are focused on further developing Dubai’s integrated tourism ecosystem.”
Tourism remains a cornerstone of Dubai's diversified economy, significantly contributing to the country's gross domestic product and job creation. The Dubai Economic Agenda D33, launched in January 2023, aims to double the size of the emirate's economy to Dh32 trillion ($8.7 trillion) by 2033.
It is aimed at making Dubai one of the world's top three cities for tourism, trade and investment. Enhancing visitor experiences and attracting global talent are central pillars of the agenda.
“Tourism continues to be a key driver of economic diversification, delivering tangible impact through GDP growth, investment inflows, and global talent attraction," said Helal Almarri, director general of DET. "Our focus remains on scaling sustainable, accessible growth and accelerating progress towards the D33 ambition to double Dubai’s economy by 2033.”
Source markets
Overall, the Gulf and the Mena region had a combined 26 per cent share of overall visitors to Dubai in 2025, with 2.99 million (15 per cent) and 2.17 million (11 per cent) arrivals, respectively.
Western Europe was again the largest source market to Dubai, with 4.1 million visitors (21 per cent). It was followed by the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe with 2.89 million visitors (15 per cent), and South Asia with 2.89 million (15 per cent).
North-East and South-East Asia accounted for 9 per cent of the visitors, followed by the Americas (7 per cent), Africa (5 per cent) and Australasia (2 per cent).
The DET’s "diversified year-round market strategy", carried out with more than 3,000 international partners, "showcased Dubai to new and returning visitors from both traditional and emerging markets", the statement said. This led to an increase in arrivals from key regions, while also attracting new permanent residents, investors and businesses.
"We’re attracting the world’s top talent through progressive visa policies and positioning Dubai as the destination of choice for entrepreneurs, remote workers and families, and elevating Dubai as the world’s leading hub across a wide range of economic sectors," said Issam Kazim, chief executive of the Dubai Department for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, part of DET.
"We remain dedicated to sustained investment in capacity, infrastructure development and initiatives to make Dubai the world’s best city to visit, live and work in.”
Rising room inventory
The city’s hotel inventory reached 154,264 rooms across 827 establishments at the end of last year, ahead of cities such as Bangkok, New York, Paris and Singapore. It is almost on par with London in terms of total room inventory, the DET said.
Average occupancy stood at 80.7 per cent in 2025, up from 78.2 per cent in 2024, according to DET’s hospitality metrics. Occupied room nights increased by 4 per cent to 44.85 million in 2025, compared to 43.03 million in 2024, with guests’ length of stay averaging 3.7 nights.
The average daily rate rose to Dh579, an increase of 8 per cent annually, while revenue per available room – a key metric to gauge the sector's performance – increased by 11 per cent to Dh467.
Last year, Dubai International Airport also retained its position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, according to Airports Council International. DXB achieved its highest quarterly traffic in the third quarter of the year, welcoming 24.2 million guests between July and September. Total traffic for the first nine months rose 2.1 per cent to 70.1 million.
Looking ahead, developments that will cater to the growing population and tourism numbers include the expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport and the construction of the Dubai Metro Blue Line, the DET added.
