Dubai received 7.28 million overnight visitors in 2021

Dubai received 7.28 million overnight visitors in 2021

Dubai hosted 7.28 million international overnight visitors in 2021, representing a 32 per cent year-over-year growth. International visitation to the city crossed 3.4 million in the fourth quarter of last year, achieving 74 per cent of the total pre-pandemic tourist arrivals in Q4 2019, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)’s data. India reigned as the top source market with 910,000 visitors, marking a 5.3 per cent year-on-year growth, followed by 491,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia (22.8 per cent increase) while Russia and the United Kingdom contributed 444,000 visitors (50.3 per cent rise) and 420,000 visitors (7.1 per cent surge) respectively. The MENA and GCC markets collectively contributed to 26 per cent of the total visitor volume. Western Europe accounted for 22 per cent of total visitors in 2021, with visitation led by UK, followed by France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands. South Asia contributed 18 per cent of the international visitation with Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe together making a 15 per cent contribution, official news agency reported. Hotel occupancy in Q4 2021 stood at over 81.4 percent, compared to 80.7 per cent during Q4 2019. Average occupancy, overall, reached 67 per cent in 2021 compared to 54