City Briefing takes place in Dubai
Dubai’s successful tourism recovery continues to inspire global tourism, with the city welcoming 6.17 million international overnight visitors from January to May 2022, an increase of 197 per cent over the same five-month period in 2021, when just over two million international travellers came here.
The latest tourism figures were unveiled by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) at the inaugural “City Briefing” for 2022, a biannual event where stakeholders and partners get an in-depth overview of the industry and discuss future strategies to further strengthen the city’s position as a global hub for business, investment, talent and tourism. The event was attended by more than 1,200 key executives from across the tourism ecosystem, including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail.
H.E. Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) commented, “We are building on the tremendous momentum created by the success of Expo 2020 to drive growth across all areas of tourism – from cultural to culinary – and working towards the ambitious goal of making Dubai the most visited destination and city of the future, the best place to live and work in the world.”
New tourism data from DET shows that overall, Dubai hotels maintained an average occupancy rate of 76 per cent from January to May 2022, compared to 62 per cent for the corresponding period in 2021. According to STR, a hospitality analytics company, Dubai ranked first globally in hotel occupancy, ahead of other international destinations including New York (61 per cent), London (60 per cent) and Paris (57 per cent), for the period January-April 2022.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism and Commercial Marketing Corporation (DCTCM), opened the City Briefing’s programme with an industry overview with a detailed presentation that provided valuable insights into visitor and marketing, as well as an update on communications activities in key international markets, including a new campaign designed to encourage more families and global travellers to choose a city for their summer holiday. The Stay More, Pay Less campaign is a city-wide initiative supported by more than 60 hotels and resorts, offering exceptional value to international travellers this summer. The promotion offers guests the amazing offer of staying seven nights at participating hotels and resorts and paying only for five nights or staying five nights and paying only for three nights of accommodation.
He also spoke to attendees about the global campaigns that have captivated audiences around the world and shone a spotlight on the city and all of Dubai’s attractions – from the exciting Dubai Presents campaign, which highlights the city’s ‘must-see’ attractions through commercials featuring Hollywood and Bollywood stars, to Dubai being selected as the #1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards 2022. The event also highlighted the drive to position Dubai as a global gastronomic hub, which received a strong boost with the launch of MICHELIN Guide Dubai and the arrival of the renowned Gault&Millau brand, which specialises in critically acclaimed haute cuisine.
Dubai remains a popular destination thanks to its multifaceted offering, further confirming the success of DET’s global campaigns throughout the year. More than 200 million travel enquiries to Dubai have been recorded since Q4 2021 and in May 2022, enquiries and bookings for the destination reached near pre-pandemic levels.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), presented at City Briefing highlights of Dubai’s 2022 retail calendar, which brings together iconic citywide festivals, events, promotions and experiences, including the highly anticipated Dubai Summer Surprises, the region’s largest summer festival, which will be held for the 25th time this year from 1 July to 4 September 2022, and the Eid Al Adha celebration next month and Dubai Fitness Challenge, which kicks off in October.
#Dubai’s successful tourism recovery sees city welcoming 6.17 million international visitors from January to May 2022, a 200% year-on-year (YoY) increase from the same five-month period in 2021.https://t.co/2cI13Yncdg pic.twitter.com/Q5xWW09AH7
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 23, 2022
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