-New record-breaking figures for the number of visitors to Dubai have been released, with the emirate welcoming more than 17 million international overnight visitors last year.
Dubai was one of the first cities to reopen to tourists during the pandemic. This helped boost its tourism industry, as attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and the luxurious sail-shaped Burj Al-Arab hotel attracted both visitors and passing passengers from the airport lounges.
The 17.15 million international overnight visitors the emirate attracted in 2023 were 19.4% more than in 2022, but also over 400,000 more than in pre-pandemic 2019.
While around 28% of travellers came from neighbouring countries, 19% travelled to the emirate from Western Europe.
The average occupancy rate of hotels last year was around 77%.
“The economic contribution to the city from having more and more visitors is obvious to everyone,” said Paul Griffiths, managing director of Dubai Airport. He added: “We see it in the streets, in the occupancy of hotels and in the general economy here.”
Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) last year surpassed 2019 levels just before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the global aviation industry.
While still far from its 2018 all-time high, the 2023 figures showed how much the airport has recovered from the pandemic.
Overall in 2023, the airport welcomed 86.9 million passengers, up from 66 million passengers in 2022 and 86.3 million passengers in 2019, while in 2018 it welcomed an all-time high of 89.1 million passengers.
“I think our performance since the pandemic has been pretty outstanding and it’s a tribute to the investments we’ve made in technology to normalize things and also to our people who have performed absolutely marvelously,” Griffiths told the Associated Press (AP).
The airport is estimated to serve 88.8 million passengers this year, approaching an all-time high. But that will put further pressure on the already overworked airport, which had the highest number of aircraft takeoffs and landings in a year-416,405.
Dubai has another airport, Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, about 45 kilometres away, in the south of the emirate. Although it was used by commercial airlines when Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, this airport, which opened in 2010, mainly receives cargo and private aircraft flights.
Plans for Emirates and other major carriers to locate there have been repeatedly postponed.
According to Mr Griffiths, current efforts are still aimed at increasing aircraft parking at DXB and a reconfiguration of the airport to allow for the expected further increase in passenger numbers.
“Eventually, there will come a time when a new airport will be required to continue funding the expansion of the aviation sector. But plans for this are largely under discussion,” Mr Griffiths said.
Meanwhile, DXB plans to invest in new security scanners to allow laptops, liquids and other items that normally have to be removed from carry-on bags for screening to remain inside them. Work is also being done that is in the experimental stage, where cameras will allow people to simply walk through a certain zone and pass through immigration without even stopping, according to Mr. Griffiths.
“There are huge advances in technology that will turn us into what we call ‘red light-free airports’,” he said.
Dubai International Airport is connected to 262 destinations in 104 countries worldwide via 100 international carriers.
