Dubai welcomes 5.1 million visitors in first four months of 2022

Dubai has welcomed 5.1 million visitors in the first four months of the year, as the emirate continues to position itself as a business and tourism hub.

This marks a 203 per cent rise compared to the same period last year, the Dubai Media Office has said on Twitter. Meanwhile, hotel occupancy stood at 76 per cent during the January-April period.

.@dubaitourism: #Dubai has welcomed 5.1 million visitors in the first four months of 2022, representing 203% increase compared to the same period in 2021, with hotel occupancy reaching 76%. pic.twitter.com/ozNEZCwoSq

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 8, 2022

The emirate recorded 3.97 million overnight visitors in Q1 2022, up from 1.27 million welcomed during the corresponding period last year, representing a 214 per cent year-on-year visitation growth. Hotels also achieved an average occupancy levels of 82 per cent during the first three months of 2022, at par with levels of 84 per cent for the same period in 2019.

Read: Dubai welcomes 3.97 million overnight visitors in Q1 2022

Dubai International (DXB) airport also marked its busiest quarter in Q1 2022 since 2020, recording 13.6 million passengers. The first quarter of the year was also the second consecutive quarter when passenger traffic at DXB surpassed the 10-million mark. DXB is connected to 193 destinations across 92 countries via 73 scheduled international carriers.

Read: Dubai’s DXB records 13.6 million passengers in Q1 2022

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports forecasted that the outlook for the year remains strong with annual traffic now projected to reach 58.3 million, exceeding initial forecasts by a significant margin.

Dubai was one of the first cities to open in July 2020, as the world recovered from the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first flights carrying overseas tourists after nearly four months had landed on July 7, 2020.

Read: Dubai reopens to international tourists

Meanwhile, the emirate’s Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 55.7 in May, the highest recorded since June 2019.

The S&P Global #Dubai Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 55.7 in May, the highest since June 2019, indicating a robust improvement in the health of the non-oil private sector. pic.twitter.com/IN2lDZJrao

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 9, 2022