According to statistics, Dubai received 6.02 million visitors between January and April 2023, over a million more than during the same time last year (5.1 million visitors, an 18.04% increase). The number of visitors was also quite similar to the 6.26 million recorded in the same time frame of the year before the pandemic in 2019, and it was more than a third of the 14.36 million visitors expected annually in 2022.
806,000 visitors came from India, followed by 474,000 from Russia, 391,000 from the UK, 352,000 from Saudi Arabia, and 348,000 from Oman. Among the top 10 source nations were Germany, the US, Israel, China, and Iran. Overall, 22% of visitors came from Western Europe, with South Asia (16%), Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Eastern Europe (15%) following.
While other airlines and airports struggle to handle the rising tourist numbers, Dubai's two main tourism drivers, Emirates airline and Dubai International Airport, have taken quick and measured steps to ease pandemic-related restrictions, hire enough staff, and quickly expand services as tourist numbers rose. The UAE has become a sought-after destination for holidaymakers and brilliant professionals because of a widespread immunisation campaign, fewer entrance restrictions, and improved tourism attractions.
