Dubai welcomes 9.88 million international visitors in the first half of 2025, up 6% year-on-year

• Issam Kazim: ‘Public-private partnerships and the power of community have been instrumental in showcasing Dubai’s destination offering to the world’ 

India, 4^th August 2025: Dubai’s evolving destination offering, driven by impactful public-private partnerships and amplified through a robust global marketing strategy, resulted in the city welcoming 9.88 million international overnight visitors from January to June 2025 – a 6% increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to data published by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

Partnerships, global campaigns, events, and a series of new openings showcased Dubai to both new and returning international visitors, while DET’s bespoke market strategy, working in collaboration with more than 3,000 global and domestic partners, led to growth in key regions.

According to the DET data, the GCC and MENA proximity markets had a combined 26% share of overall visitors to Dubai from January to June 2025, with 1.51 million (15%) and 1.12 million (11%) arrivals respectively. Western Europe was the largest source market to Dubai, with 2.12 million visitors (22%), followed by CIS and Eastern Europe with 1.52 million (15%), South Asia 1.44 million (15%), North East and South East Asia 894,000 (9%), the Americas 689,000 (7%), Africa 404,000 (4%) and Australasia with 176,000 (2%).

Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Visit Dubai), part of DET, said: “Dubai’s tourism performance reflects the strength of public-private partnerships and the power of community, which have been instrumental in showcasing Dubai’s destination offering to the world. Our residents, businesses and visitors have played a supporting role in our tourism success, with their authentic voices and genuine advocacy promoting the city and its unique experiences. Dubai has become even more accessible, with a robust infrastructure and a business-friendly environment that fosters collaboration, while a year-round calendar of leisure, trade and MICE events have further diversified the city’s visitor base and generated significant economic impact. In collaboration with our key stakeholders, we remain committed to enhancing quality of life for visitors and residents through infrastructure development and sustained investment in capacity to attract new international audiences.”

Hospitality

With unique offerings, safety and connectivity, Dubai has sustained its status as a preferred travel destination for visitors from both traditional and emerging markets. Adding to its appeal for international audiences, Dubai’s accommodation portfolio continues to evolve, offering quality at every price point. In the first six months of 2025, the city expanded its hotel inventory with new openings across all segments and in various locations, including Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in Umm Suqeim, Cheval Maison in Expo City, The Biltmore Hotel Villas in Al Barsha, and Vida Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai.

DET’s data revealed that the emirate’s hotel sector achieved impressive results across all hospitality metrics. From January to June 2025, average occupancy for hotels in Dubai stood at 80.6%, up from 78.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Occupied room nights increased by 4%, with 22.24 million at the end of H1 2025, compared to 21.35 million in H1 2024, with guests’ length of stay averaging 3.71 nights. The average daily rate (ADR) rose to AED584 during H1, an increase of 5% compared to 2024, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased by 7% compared to last year, from AED439 to AED471. Meanwhile, the total available rooms in Dubai reached 152,483 by the end of June 2025, with the number of establishments standing at 822.

Campaigns and partnerships

Showcasing Dubai’s ever-evolving and diverse destination offering, Visit Dubai launched a series of campaigns in H1 2025, including ‘Find Your Story’, with Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi; ‘Dubai, Ready for a Surprise?’, with Indian celebrity couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma; ‘Dubai, Who’s Ready?’ with South Korean actors Park Seo Jun, Choi Woo Shik, and Park Hyung Sik; and ‘Dubai. That’s How You Summer’. These dynamic global marketing campaigns continue to be a key driver of visitation by promoting Dubai to new international audiences.

Further enhancing the visitor experience and elevating the city’s global appeal, DET signed strategic partnerships in the first half of the year with hospitality companies Marriott International, Hyatt, and Premier Inn. Dubai’s accommodation portfolio will also continue to grow with upcoming high-profile openings such as the Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai; ZUHHA Island on The World Islands; and Ciel Dubai Marina, Vignette Collection, which is set to be the world’s tallest all-hotel tower.

Global recognition and trade events

Dubai received numerous global accolades in the first half of 2025. Reinforcing the city’s commitment to accessible travel, one of the major milestones of the year so far came in April when Dubai was recognised as the first Certified Autism Destination™ in the Eastern Hemisphere. In terms of global tourism recognition, Dubai continues to garner top rankings as one of the ‘best of the best’ destinations in the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards, while in a study by travel insurance company InsureMyTrip, Dubai was named the world’s best city for solo female travellers, receiving the highest scores across the 62-city survey for ‘feeling safe’ and for ‘feeling safe walking alone at night’.

Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and part of DET, reinforced Dubai’s position as a strategic destination for impactful business events. Dubai again ranked No.1 in the Middle East for the total number of association meetings hosted in 2024, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). DBE secured 249 successful bids in the first half of 2025 to host international conferences, congresses and incentive programmes, with these events set to attract over 127,000 delegates to Dubai in the coming years.

Gastronomy  

Gastronomy continues to be a key attraction for international visitation and investment to Dubai, with the city’s diverse culinary scene consistently recognised globally. The fourth edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai was unveiled in May and it featured a total of 119 restaurants across 35 cuisines, including the city’s first three-starred restaurants: FZN by Björn Frantzén and Trèsind Studio.

With this latest recognition, Swedish chef Björn Frantzén became the first chef globally to hold three MICHELIN stars for three different restaurants – Frantzén in Stockholm, Zén in Singapore, and now FZN in Dubai. Trèsind Studio, a homegrown concept led by Indian chef Himanshu Saini, became the world’s first Indian MICHELIN three-starred restaurant. The 2025 Guide also included three two-starred restaurants, 14 one-starred, 22 Bib Gourmands, and three MICHELIN Green Stars.

On The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, announced in June, two Dubai restaurants were included in the top 50. Trèsind Studio was ranked at No.27, and named the best restaurant in the Middle East, while Orfali Bros re-entered the top 50, ranking at No.37.

To see the full January-June 2025 Tourism Performance Report, visit: www.dubaidet.gov.ae

About the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)

With the ultimate vision of making Dubai the world’s leading commercial centre, investment hub and tourism destination, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) is mandated to support the Government in positioning the emirate as a major hub for global economy and tourism, and in boosting the city’s economic and tourism competitiveness indicators, in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy by 2033 and further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global destination for business and leisure.

Under this remit, DET is driving efforts to further enhance Dubai’s diversified, innovative service-based economy to attract top global talent, deliver a world-class business environment and accelerate productivity growth. Additionally, DET is supporting Dubai’s vision to become the world’s best city to visit, live and work in by promoting its diverse destination proposition, unique lifestyle and outstanding quality of life, overall.

DET is the principal authority for planning, supervising, developing and marketing Dubai’s business and tourism sectors. It is also responsible for licensing and classifying all types of businesses, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. DET’s portfolio includes Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation (DBLC), Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), Dubai SME, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT).