Hamdan bin Mohammed:
- "The record performance of the tourism sector in Dubai during 2025 reflects Mohammed bin Rashid's vision to solidify Dubai's status among the top three tourist cities globally."
- "This achievement confirms the robustness of the developmental model adopted by Dubai, based on long-term planning, flexibility, and effective partnerships between the public and private sectors."
- "We affirm our commitment to continuing the development of a comprehensive tourism ecosystem that elevates the quality of visitors' experiences and enhances Dubai's global competitiveness."
- Helal Saeed Al Marri: "The exceptional performance of the tourism sector in Dubai during 2025 confirms the high efficiency of Dubai's economic model, based on effective partnerships between the public and private sectors, aligning with Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D targets."
- Issam Kazim: "Achieving a new record in the number of international visitors reflects the significant global confidence Dubai enjoys, and the feasibility of strategies aligned with Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D."
- A new record in the tourism sector by receiving more than two million international visitors in December alone for the first time, with an annual increase of 6%."
- Tourism among the top five sectors in 2025 for attracting foreign direct investment in the emirate according to (Financial Times - FDI markets)
- Hotel occupancy reached 44.85 million reserved rooms in 827 properties setting Dubai in competition with leading global tourist destinations"
- Western Europe leads the list of visitors with 4.10 million visitors, followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council with 2.99 million visitors, then the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe with 2.89 million visitors, and South Asia 2.89 million visitors
- Dubai welcomed from the Middle East and North Africa 2.17 million visitors, from Northeast and Southeast Asia 1.85 million visitors, from the Americas 1.40 million visitors, Africa region 897,000 visitors and from Australasia 401,000 visitors
- The department adopted a diversified strategy in 2025 and collaborated with local partners and more than 3000 international partners"
Khaberni - Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international visitors during 2025, setting a new record for the third consecutive year, with an annual growth of 5% compared to 18.72 million visitors in the year 2024, according to data released by the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai. The emirate concluded the year 2025 with an exceptional performance by exceeding the milestone of two million visitors in December alone for the first time in the emirate's history, continuing this strong momentum into 2026. Strategic partnerships, global marketing campaigns, and hosting major events contributed to this remarkable achievement.
On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, affirmed that "the record performance of the tourism sector in Dubai during 2025 reflects the fruit of the ambitious vision and wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, to solidify Dubai's position among the top three tourist cities in the world. This achievement also confirms the solidity of the developmental model adopted by the emirate, based on long-term planning, flexibility, and effective partnerships between the public and private sectors."
He added: "Continually setting record numbers for the third consecutive year, along with surpassing the two million visitors mark in a single month for the first time, cements Dubai's global status as a preferred destination to live, work, and visit," affirming that the tourism sector is one of the main drivers for economic diversification and promoting sustainable growth, aligned with the targets of Dubai's Economic Agenda D33. He said: "We affirm our commitment to continuing the development of a comprehensive tourism ecosystem that enhances the quality of visitor experiences and strengthens Dubai's global competitiveness, and supports attracting investments and talents, reflecting Dubai's vision as a leading global city for business, entertainment, and quality of life."
Remarkable growth in leading global destinations
The Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai succeeded in implementing a diversified strategy throughout the year, collaborating with local partners and more than 3,000 international partners, which contributed to attracting more new and returning visitors from both traditional and emerging markets alike. This has resulted in a growth in visitor numbers from key regions, while also enhancing the emirate's appeal to a wide range of permanent residents, investors, and new businesses. During December alone, Dubai welcomed 2.04 million international visitors, an annual increase of 6%, while its previous record was set in January 2025, with 1.94 million visitors.
The data indicate that in terms of visitor source by geographic region, both the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Middle East and North Africa together accounted for 26 percent of the total visitors to Dubai during 2025, amounting to 2.99 million visitors, which corresponds to 15 percent for the first region, and 2.17 million visitors, which accounts for 11 percent for the second region. Again, Western Europe accounted for the largest share of visitors to Dubai with 4.10 million visitors, representing 21 percent compared to 3.74 million visitors in 2024, followed by the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe with 2.89 million visitors representing 15 percent, and the South Asian region with 2.89 million visitors representing 15 percent, then Northeast and Southeast Asia with 1.85 million visitors representing 9 percent, the Americas with 1.40 million visitors representing 7 percent, the African region with 897,000 visitors representing 5 percent, and Australasia with 401,000 visitors representing 2 percent.
On his part, His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, said: "The exceptional performance of the tourism sector in Dubai during 2025 confirms the high efficiency of Dubai's economic model, based on effective partnerships between the public and private sectors, aligned with the targets of Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D."
He added: "Under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, and the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, President of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai; the tourism sector continues its pivotal role as one of the main drivers of economic diversification, through its direct contribution to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product, attracting investments and attracting talents and competencies. This confirms our commitment to expanding the scope of sustainable growth for all and accelerating progress towards achieving the targets of Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D aimed at doubling Dubai's economy by 2033 and solidifying Dubai's position among the top three tourist cities globally."
The continued growth in international visitor numbers reflects the strength of Dubai's diverse tourism destinations strategy, which has been implemented through effective partnerships between the public and private sectors. With Dubai ranked as the best global destination for attracting foreign direct investment projects, the tourism and hospitality sector continues its key role in driving economic growth, contributing tangibly to the Gross Domestic Product of the emirate, and supporting the targets of Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D aimed at doubling the size of the emirate's economy by 2033. According to data published in the Financial Times – FDI markets database, the hotels and tourism sector was one of the top five sectors in Dubai during the first half of 2025 in terms of attracting foreign direct investment, accounting for 21.3 percent of the total inflows, reaffirming the sector's status as a major driver for investment and sustainable growth.
Performance of the Hotels Sector
Dubai enhanced its appeal with a series of new hotel openings and strategic initiatives, where the hotels and hospitality sectors in the emirate recorded record results during 2025. By the end of December last year, the city's hotel capacity reached 154,264 hotel rooms spread across 827 facilities, placing Dubai in an advanced position compared to leading global cities such as Bangkok, New York, Paris, Singapore, and close to London in terms of total hotel capacity. The emirate witnessed the opening of a range of new projects across various categories and locations, including Sail Dubai Marina, Vinit Collection by IHG Hotels & Resorts, the world's tallest hotel, and Jumeira Marsa Al Arab, Mandarin Oriental Downtown Dubai, Cheval Maison – Expo City, and Vida Dubai Mall.
The average hotel occupancy in Dubai recorded 80.7 percent in 2025, up from the 78.2 percent recorded in 2024, according to hospitality indicators issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai. Additionally, the number of rooms reserved increased by 4 percent to reach 44.85 million rooms in 2025, compared to 43.03 million rooms in 2024, with the average length of stay reaching 3.7 nights. The average daily room rate also increased to AED 579 during 2025, up by 8 percent compared to AED 538 in 2024. Meanwhile, the average revenue from available rooms increased by 11 percent to reach AED 467, compared to AED 421 during 2024.
On this occasion, His Excellency Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, part of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, said: "Under the wise leadership, Dubai was able to achieve a new record in the number of international visitors, reflecting the significant global confidence Dubai enjoys, and the feasibility of strategies aligned with Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D, as well as the importance of fruitful cooperation and partnerships in various sectors that are an integral part of Dubai's identity. The flexible visa issuance measures also contribute to attracting the best global talents and competencies, making Dubai a preferred destination for business leaders, families, and remote workers, thereby enhancing its capabilities to become a leading global hub for many economic sectors."
He added: "As we look forward to achieving more milestones, we continue to enhance Dubai's global competitiveness by leveraging digital innovation, along with providing exceptional experiences for visitors at all stages of their journey, especially amidst the significant momentum generated by surpassing the two million international visitors mark during last December for the first time. In collaboration with all our partners in the public and private sectors, we remain committed to continuing our investment in enhancing the emirate's capabilities and infrastructure development, and launching strategic initiatives that support our ambitious goal of making Dubai the best city in the world to live, work, and visit."
Innovative Initiatives
In 2025, Dubai launched several new initiatives to boost the growth of the hospitality sector in Dubai. In October, the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai launched the Investment Incentives Initiative aimed at encouraging investment in new hotel facilities in high-growth areas in Dubai, covering new hotels, resorts, serviced apartments, and other facilities located in Dubai South, Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai Parks, and Dubai Islands. In December, the department launched an innovative emirate-wide solution using digital hotel check-in technology, which provides a smart, fast, and safe arrival experience for guests, allowing them to bypass traditional check-in procedures once implemented in hotels and holiday homes in the city."
Campaigns and Partnership Relations
As part of showcasing Dubai's tourism attractions and offerings, the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, affiliated with the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, launched a series of global marketing campaigns during 2025, such as "Choose Your Story" in collaboration with Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi, "Dubai, An Unforgettable Summer", and "Surprises in Dubai", in collaboration with Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. These distinctive global marketing campaigns continue to successfully attract more visitors by promoting Dubai to a broader international audience."
In the framework of its continuous efforts to support the targets of Dubai's Economic Agenda 33D, the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai signed strategic partnerships in 2025 with a group of global hospitality institutions, including Marriott International, Visa, Hyatt, Premier Inn, Amadeus, aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and elevating the emirate's attractiveness on a global level. Among the most prominent events of the past year, the unveiling of Beautiful Destinations Academy, which was launched by the department in April in partnership with Beautiful Destinations, is a pioneering initiative in content development, setting new global standards in creating professional travel content to promote tourist destinations."
Renowned Global Awards
Dubai garnered several global awards in 2025 in recognition of its exceptional achievements in the tourism sector, particularly in accessibility tourism, and commitment to sustainability and safety standards. In April, it achieved a significant milestone by obtaining the Autism Certified Tourist Destination™ certification, the first for the Eastern Hemisphere. It also ranked within the top ten of the Numbeo Index for the safest cities. In a study conducted by the travel insurance company, InsureMyTrip, Dubai was selected as the top city globally for solo female travelers, achieving the highest scores among 62 cities included in the study in the indicators of "feeling safe" and "feeling safe walking alone at night."
Dubai also secured three spots in the list of the top 50 hotels in the world for 2025, announced in October, where Atlantis The Royal ranked sixth, Jumeira Marsa Al Arab featured on the list for the first time at the 20th position, and The Lana ranked 35th. October also marked the unveiling of the list of hotels awarded Michelin stars in the Middle East for the first time, which included 13 hotels in Dubai, while another 34 Dubai hotels were listed under the "High-Quality Accommodation" category."
The list of the top 50 restaurants in the world for 2025, announced in June, included two of Dubai's finest restaurants, namely Trèsind Studio, which ranked 27th on the list of the best restaurants in
