DUBAI’S HOTELS WELCOME OVER 11 MILLION GUESTS IN 2013
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Dubai’s hotels welcomed more than 11 million guests in 2013 – an increase of just over one million on the 2012 numbers and a positive indication that Dubai is on the way to achieving its target of welcoming 20 million visitors a year by 2020. Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) released the statistics ahead of the global tourism industry gathering at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin this week, with the announced figures also showing increases across key indicators such as hotel establishment revenues and room occupancy.
Guest numbers across all hotel establishments (hotels and hotel apartments) in 2013 reached 11,012,487, a 10.6 per cent increase on the 9,957,161 of 2012. Dubai’s top 10 hotel guest source markets remained, for the most part, unchanged when compared to 2012 - with some slight changes in positioning. Saudi Arabia, India, UK, USA, Russia, Kuwait, Germany, Oman, Iran and China made up the top ten for January to December 2013.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DTCM commented, “The strong growth shown in hotel establishment guests in 2013 is a positive first step on our journey to 2020. Having announced the Tourism Vision for 2020 in May 2013, a 10.6 per cent growth in hotel establishment guests demonstrates that we are on track to double the 10 million tourists received in 2012 to 20 million per year by 2020 and is an affirmation of the destination’s ever increasing appeal.
Commenting on the importance of the Indian market, Almarri, opined, “India continues to retain the No. 2 position as a top source market for Dubai accounting for 888,835 Indian citizen hotel guests registering a growth of 16.3 per cent over the corresponding period 2012. Indian travellers to Dubai find ease in reaching the Emirate owing to multiple airline options servicing the sector in addition to Emirates Airlines which covers 10 cities across India. Further, Dubai’s first world infrastructure, myriad of hotels and resorts, value for money shopping and plethora of attractions make Dubai a favourite destination for family vacations and short breaks. Going forward, we will soon embark on a series of joint travel trade promotions to tap the upcoming summer holiday break in addition to encouraging niche segments such as weddings, special occasions and leisure sports.”