A total of 56 million hotel nights have been booked, with a hotel occupancy rate of 75%.
In the initial seven months of 2023, hotels in the United Arab Emirates experienced a notable surge in earnings, recording a substantial 24 percent boost, amounting to a total of $7.08 billion. This surge was unveiled by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Head of the Emirates Tourism Council, during a council assembly.
Over this seven-month timeframe, the nation played host to 16 million guests, representing an impressive growth of over 15 percent compared to the previous year. Furthermore, more than 56 million hotel room nights were reserved, and the hotel occupancy rate surged to 75 percent, indicating a five percent increase compared to the same period in 2022.
This upsurge underscores the UAE's heightened competitiveness on the global tourism stage and aligns with the national aspiration to boost the tourism sector's contribution to GDP to AED 450 billion ($123 billion) by the next decade, in accordance with the 'We the UAE 2031' vision.
The council meeting explored various subjects, including the advancement of the National Tourism Strategy 2031 and strategies to promote collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Additionally, the meeting evaluated the accomplishments of the 'World’s Coolest Winter' campaign, which substantially boosted domestic tourism and lifted hotel establishment revenues by 20 percent to AED 1.8 billion ($491 million). This initiative attracted 1.4 million domestic tourists, aligning with the objectives of the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031 to attract more investments and augment the tourism sector's GDP contribution.
The 'World’s Coolest Winter' campaign, conceived by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, was credited with generating nearly half a billion dollars in revenue for UAE hotels in 2022. This campaign, designed to invigorate tourism across the emirates during the cooler months, garnered significant attention on social media, with various activations generating over 5.8 million interactions across platforms. The #WorldsCoolestWinter hashtag was featured in over 18,000 photos and videos on social media, and promotional videos amassed more than 158.2 million views worldwide.
Furthermore, Knight Frank, a consultancy firm, projected that around 9,200 new hotel rooms will enter the UAE's hospitality sector by the end of 2023. Dubai's hospitality sector is expected to see a substantial 6.4 percent increase, with approximately 154,000 rooms in operation, driven by major industry players, including Accor, which currently has 71,820 existing rooms and 49,510 more in the pipeline for completion by 2030.
