#Dubai tourist numbers grow to over 17mln in 2023, highest reported by the emirate

Dubai tourist numbers grow to over 17mln in 2023, highest reported by the emirate

Dubai has achieved its highest growth in tourism numbers, reporting 17.15 million international overnight visitors in 2023, according to the emirate’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

This represented a 19.4% year-on-year growth over the 14.36 million tourist arrivals in 2022.

The surge in tourist numbers also beat the pre COVID-19 record of 16.73 million visitors recorded in 2019.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, attributed this growth to the emirate facilitating “meaningful public-private partnerships” that have had a “transformative impact on tourism development in the emirate.”

“Dubai’s ability to constantly generate diverse and refreshingly novel travel and tourism experiences catering to a wide range of visitors has been a key factor behind this exceptional performance,” Sheikh Hamdan added.

The tourism performance contributed to Dubai’s 3.3% GDP growth in the first nine months of 2023. Accommodation and food services activities witnessed a 11% growth.