Some 8.1 million international visitors arrived in Dubai in the first seven months of 2022, an almost threefold increase compared to a year ago and surpassing the total for 2021.
The year-to-date performance puts Dubai in a position to possibly match the 16.73 million visitors it welcomed in 2019, the last full year pre-pandemic.
Tourism is one of the key elements of Dubai’s economy, but like the global industry, it slowed down massively because of the pandemic.
The industry’s rebound has been running in alongside its economy, which has bounced back from the effects of the health crisis.
The country is also gearing up for an influx of visitors for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, which will begin in November. The quadrennial event is expected to boost traffic to Al Maktoum International Airport as it handles an additional 30 return flights to Doha for football fans during the global sporting event.
Monthly passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport, is likely to reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023, and a complete recovery is due earlier than expected.
