Dubai tourist arrivals hit record 15.7 million as hotel revenues surge

Dubai: Dubai welcomed a record 15.7 million international visitors between January and October 2025, according to the latest tourism performance data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

The figure represents a 5 per cent increase from the 14.96 million international tourists recorded during the same period last year.

In October alone, the city hosted about 1.75 million visitors, averaging more than 56,000 tourists per day. Western Europe remained Dubai’s leading source market, accounting for 21 per cent of arrivals – around 3.26 million tourists – during the first ten months of 2025.

The GCC ranked second with 16 per cent (2.5 million visitors), followed by South Asia with 15 per cent (2.33 million).

Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe collectively contributed another 15 per cent, representing more than 2.27 million visitors.

The Middle East and North Africa region recorded 1.74 million tourists, or 11 per cent of the total. North and Southeast Asia together accounted for about 1.47 million visitors (9 per cent).

Arrivals from the Americas reached 1.1 million (7 per cent), Africa contributed 698,000 (4 per cent), and Australasia added 329,000 visitors (2 per cent).

By the end of October 2025, Dubai’s hotel inventory stood at more than 152,800 rooms across 820 establishments, slightly up from 152,500 rooms in 827 properties year-on-year.

Average hotel occupancy reached 79.4 per cent between January and October 2025, compared with 77 per cent during the same period last year. Luxury five-star hotels accounted for 36 per cent of total supply, offering around 55,000 rooms across 172 properties.

Four-star hotels represented 28 per cent (43,200 rooms in 193 hotels), while one- to three-star hotels comprised 19 per cent (29,100 rooms across 276 properties).

Hotel apartments made up 17 per cent of capacity, with 25,500 rooms across 179 establishments. Guest stays averaged 3.6 nights, unchanged from 2024.

Total occupied room nights reached 36.7 million, up four per cent year-on-year. The average daily room rate rose to Dh531, compared with Dh502 last year, a 6 per cent increase. Revenue per available room climbed 9 per cent to Dh421, up from Dh386 in 2024.