Dubai's global visitors grow 8.2% to 13.2 million in 2014

Dubai welcomed a total of 13.2 million international overnight visitors in 2014, according to new statistics issued by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

Representing a year-on-year increase of 8.2 per cent - significantly higher than the global average of 4.7 per cent - the growth reflects the continuing strides that the Emirate is making towards realising Dubai's Tourism Vision for 2020, which aims to welcome 20 million visitors by the start of the next decade.

Differing from previously announced statistics on guests staying at Dubai's hotel establishments, the inaugural 'Dubai Annual Visitor Report' said the figure is a measure of all international visitors travelling to Dubai and staying for at least one night, in hotel accommodation and holiday rentals, with friends and relatives, and on board cruise ships.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of DTCM, said: "The 2014 success is especially promising considering pressures on a number of source market economies and the 80-day partial closure of Dubai International Airport). Having traditionally released annual data on hotel establishment guests, the new report encompasses all international overnight visitors, painting a broader picture of the successes, challenges and opportunities of the Emirate's tourism economy. The research behind the report enables us to further enhance our targeted marketing activity, which in the past year has included the development of extensive digital, social media and PR partnerships with some of the most influential channels in the industry."
 
Market growth
 
Though sustained momentum in Dubai's traditional source markets saw the majority of the Emirate's top ten source markets growing around eight per cent, there was also double-digit growth from a number of emerging travel source countries home to fast-growing middle-class populations with high disposable incomes. Examples include China, Nigeria and Brazil, in addition to several Eastern European nations - a result of the easing of UAE visa policies applying to 13 EU member states in March 2014.

Helal Saeed Almarri  said 55 per cent of last year's visitors came from top ten source markets, the majority of which saw sustained growth, and there was healthy acceleration in many emerging feeder geographies.

“We will continue to work with our partners to further diversify our markets and leverage opportunities for growth, with one example being maximising the potential of Eastern European markets, from which we have already seen a positive result from the easing of visa regulations in March last year and the subsequent flight launches to the region by Emirates and flydubai towards the end of 2014."
 
Reasons for growth

Despite an 80-day partial runway closure from May to July, 2014 saw Dubai International Airport emerge as the world's busiest for international passengers, surpassing London Heathrow for the first time.

The airport welcomed 70.5 million passengers in 2014, an increase of 6.1 per cent, while overall seat capacity to Dubai increased 7.2 per cent year-on-year to 48.6 million. Dubai's two home-grown airlines, Emirates and flydubai, achieved exceptional growth in fleet size and global footprint expansion; the former launching new routes to eight destinations and adding circa 420,000 seats, the latter to 18 destinations and approximately 180,000 seats. The growth in aviation capacity supports the World Economic Forum's assertion that "Dubai's greatest competitive advantage in tourism is its ability to provide a world-class international hub for global air travellers."

Dubai's cruise industry, meanwhile, also contributed to growth thanks to the opening of Dubai's third cruise terminal, and 425,000 passengers are expected to arrive on cruises into Dubai in 2015, a 30 per cent increase over the previous year.

2014 also saw improved accessibility to Dubai, driven by the easing of UAE visa policies that have it made it easier and cheaper to visit the emirate. Citizens from a total of 46 countries can now obtain a visa on arrival, boosted by the March 2014 addition of 13 EU member states to the existing 15 member states already eligible. Positive results can already be seen in the increase in visitors from Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, for example, up by 104 per cent, 86 per cent and 64 per cent respectively.

A total of 46 new hotel and hotel apartment establishments opened in 2014, including the likes of Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf, Warwick Hotel Sheikh Zayed, Sheraton Grand Hotel and Four Seasons Resort Dubai, as well as a host of new attractions such as The Beach at JBR, Jumeirah Corniche and At The Top, Burj Khalifa SKY.
 
Dubai – a family destination

A key statement within the Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020 is the ambition to become the world's number one family destination, with the objective of capturing a substantial share of one of the highest potential segments in the global tourism market.

According to Thomson Reuters, family travel accounts for over 12.5 per cent of the $1.7 trillion global tourism market, and is projected to grow at circa 5 per cent up to 2020. With Dubai's top source markets for families being the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman and India, the Emirate continues to expand its offering for the segment, with the next two years seeing the opening of attractions including Dubai Safari Park, Dubai Opera House, Legoland Dubai, Hollywood-themed Motion Gate and Bollywood Parks Dubai.

Business travellers are another stated target segment for the Emirate, and in 2014 the number of visitors travelling for meetings, exhibitions, conferences and events (MICE) grew by 10 per cent.
 

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