Dubai welcomes 8.68 million international visitors in first five months

DUBAI - Dubai attracted 8.68 million international tourists during the first five months of 2025, from January through May, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024, which recorded 8.12 million visitors.

According to the Tourism Performance Report January - May 2025, released today by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the city welcomed 1.53 million international visitors in May alone.

Western Europe led the list of source markets, accounting for 22% of total visitors, approximately 1.917 million tourists. Following closely were Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, and Eastern Europe, contributing 1.396 million visitors (16%).

South Asia ranked third with 1.242 million tourists (14%), while the GCC region followed with 1.275 million visitors, representing 15% of the total.

The Middle East and North Africa came fifth with 989,000 visitors (11%), followed by Northeast and Southeast Asia, which contributed 771,000 tourists (9%).

The Americas accounted for 601,000 visitors (7%), while Africa brought in 346,000 tourists (4%). Australia contributed 141,000 visitors, representing about 2% of Dubai's total international arrivals during the period.

As of the end of May 2025, Dubai's hotel sector comprised 825 establishments offering 153,356 rooms, compared to 822 hotels with 150,202 rooms at the end of May 2024.

Average hotel occupancy during the first five months of 2025 stood at 83%, up from 81% during the same period last year.

The total number of occupied room nights reached 19.09 million, an increase of 4% from the 18.34 million recorded during the same period in 2024.

Guests stayed an average of 3.8 nights per visit. The average daily room rate rose to AED620, marking a 5% increase compared to AED590 in 2024. Revenue per available room also saw a 7% boost, reaching AED513 compared to AED478 in the same period last year.

WAM