Dubai welcomes 7.15m visitors in first 4 months of 2025 as tourism sector powers ahead - Dubai Economy and Tourism

19 Jun 2025 4:40 AM

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 June 2025: Dubai welcomed 7.15 million international overnight tourists between January and April 2025, a 7% annual increase. This growth builds on the 18.72 million people who visited in 2024, the second consecutive year of record-setting growth for the city.

 

During these 4 months, Dubai attracted record visitation from the Australasia region (Australia & New Zealand) with over 111,000 travelling to the city, a 14% YoY increase.

 

During its first City Briefing of 2025, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) also revealed that the city’s hotel sector offered 153,534 rooms at the end of April, with all key performance indicators demonstrating strong annual growth.

 

Issam Kazim, CEO of Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “Building on yet another record-breaking performance in 2024, the exceptional results achieved by the industry so far in 2025 is a testament to the resilience and steadfast support of our stakeholders and partners.

 

From hospitality and aviation to retail and gastronomy, every sector has played a critical role in solidifying Dubai’s position as a global tourism leader. It is by coming together as a community that we have been able to navigate challenges, create compelling narratives about the city, and drive global trends”.

 

Global Gastronomy Hub

 

Dubai’s food scene is a key driver for the city’s tourism sector, and as revealed in the Dubai Gastronomy Industry Report, published by DET, the city issued around 1,200 new restaurant licences in 2024. The fourth edition of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai, unveiled last month, reflects Dubai’s fast-growing and diverse culinary scene. The 2025 Guide featured 119 restaurants across 35 cuisines, a 12.3% increase from 106 restaurants in 2024, including Dubai’s first MICHELIN three-starred restaurants, FZN by Björn Frantzén and Trèsind Studio.

 

This year’s Guide also included 3 MICHELIN two-starred restaurants, 14 MICHELIN one-starred restaurants, 22 Bib Gourmand restaurants, and 3 restaurants awarded a MICHELIN Green Star.

 

Feedback was gathered from stakeholders throughout the City Briefing, to inform and shape DET’s plans going forward and leverage opportunities for Dubai. The event concluded with a strong call to action for stakeholders to maintain their momentum and continued partnership throughout the year.

 

Campaigns Showcase Dubai’s Diverse Offering

 

Aligned with the long-term objectives of the D33 Agenda, DET’s dynamic global marketing campaigns continue to be a key driver of visitation by showcasing Dubai to new international audiences and promoting the city’s diverse tourism offerings.

 

During the City Briefing, the new ‘Dubai. That’s How You Summer’ campaign was presented; promoted across various media channels and told through the stories of a wide range of advocates, the campaign positions Dubai as a must-visit summer destination where ‘everyone can master the art of doing nothing – while doing everything’.

 

Another major global campaign launched by DET in 2025 was ‘Find Your Story’, starring Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi. In the captivating brand film, the story reveals the exciting adventures that travellers can enjoy in the city, even during a brief stopover, and highlights Dubai’s desert landscapes and futuristic architecture.

 

“As we look ahead to the second half of this year and beyond, we will harness the key elements that have driven the industry’s steady growth – a robust and diversified market strategy, a solid collaboration model between the government and private sectors, and global campaigns showcasing the ever-evolving diverse destination offering,” added Kazim.

 

                                                                       -ENDS-

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Data Interpretation and Definition Reference:

All reported information follows the same methodology as the Tourism Performance report published in Q1-2015. International guests are reflective of overnight tourists to Dubai that are adjusted downward for leakage from Dubai Airport to other emirates (travellers not spending a night in Dubai), residents staying in hotels (noting that all reported hotel information includes this population), hotel hoppers that are defined as travellers checking in/re-checking in within a 48-hour window; and adjusted upwards for travellers entering through other emirates as their first port of entry and those staying with friends and family estimated from DIVS survey data [field surveys conducted by Department of Economy and Tourism].

About the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET)

With the ultimate vision of making Dubai the world’s leading commercial centre, investment hub and tourism destination, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) is mandated to support the Government in positioning the emirate as a major hub for global economy and tourism, and in boosting the city’s economic and tourism competitiveness indicators, in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which aims to double the size of the emirate’s economy and consolidate its position among the top three global cities over the next decade.

Under this remit, DET is driving efforts to further enhance Dubai’s diversified, innovative service-based economy to attract top global talent, deliver a world-class business environment and accelerate productivity growth. Additionally, DET is supporting Dubai’s vision to become the world’s best city to visit, live and work in by promoting its diverse destination proposition, unique lifestyle and outstanding quality of life, overall.

DET is the principal authority for planning, supervising, developing and marketing Dubai’s business and tourism sectors. It is also responsible for licensing and classifying all types of businesses, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. DET’s portfolio includes Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation (DBLC), Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), Dubai SME, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT).

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