Dubai hotels occupied room nights surge to record high of 41.70million in 2023

In 2023, Dubai hotels occupied room nights soared to a record high of 41.70 million, marking a 11% increase compared to 2022 (37.43 million). This growth also represents a substantial 30% rise from the pre-pandemic figures of 2019, which saw 32.11 million occupied room nights. Reflecting the commitment of the city and hospitality sector to offer competitive pricing, the 2023 ADR of AED536 matched the ADR in 2022. The hotel sector’s robust performance is also evident in its RevPAR growth – an increase of 6% compared to 2022 (AED415 vs. AED391) and a growth of 33% over the pre-pandemic period of 2019 (RevPAR of AED312). Guests’ Length of Stay was 3.8 nights in 2023, a 10% increase from 3.4 nights in 2019.

His Excellency Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “As Dubai continues its exponential growth in alignment with the D33 Agenda set forth by our forward-thinking leadership, we remain committed to further elevating our standards and to advancing with innovative and distinctive world-class infrastructure, experiences and attractions. The extensive range of offerings and Dubai’s reputation as a secure, inclusive and accessible destination have been consistently recognised across multiple global indices, culminating in the city being crowned the No.1 global destination for an unprecedented third year in a row in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2024.

 

Hotels outperform pre-pandemic levels across all metrics

Dubai’s hospitality sector, which is integral to the emirate’s destination promise and overall growth of the tourism industry, continued to perform strongly, surpassing pre-pandemic levels across all hospitality metrics – Occupancy, Occupied Room Nights, Guests’ Length of Stay, Average Daily Rate (ADR), and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR).

Occupancy remains among the highest in the world

Average occupancy for the hotel sector in 2023 stood at 77.4%, among the world’s highest, increasing from 72.9% in 2022 and exceeding the 75.3% average occupancy in 2019. The high occupancy level is an exceptional achievement, given an overall 19% increase in room supply in 2023 compared to 2019.

Milestone 150,000 room keys achieved

Dubai’s hotel inventory at the end of December 2023 comprised 150,291 rooms at 821 establishments, compared to 146,496 rooms available at the end of December 2022 across 804 establishments and 126,120 rooms available at the end of December 2019 across 741 establishments. Last year’s milestone achievement reflects the growth and success in the hospitality industry.