Dubai Tourist Arrivals Top Pre-Pandemic Levels, Room Rates Surge

Dubai reported a record number of tourist arrivals in the first half of the year, topping levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and helping push hotel room rates to a fresh high.

The city reported 8.55 million international overnight visitors, up 20% from the first half of last year and more than the 8.36 million tourists who visited during the same period in 2019. Average daily hotel rates came in at 534 dirhams ($145.40), up by a fifth from 2019 levels.