Dubai Airport to welcome 4.4m passengers this holiday season

Dubai Airports announced that Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s most connected and biggest international airport, is primed for the peak season and ready to facilitate a diverse range of offerings this holiday season.

DXB will welcome an estimated 4.4 million passengers through its doors between 15th and 31st December, with the average total daily traffic reaching 258,000.

The hub is preparing for an exceptional spike in guest numbers on Friday, 22nd December, the busiest day for the airport, welcoming an estimated 279,000 passengers.

As Dubai continues to cement itself as a popular destination during the winter, a surge in arrivals is anticipated to hit during the last two weekends of the year, with half a million passengers – mainly comprising point to point traffic, expected to arrive over six days from 22nd to 24th December, and from 29th to 31st December.

Across Terminals 1, 2 and 3, the airport will host a series of activities, from a 3D photo opportunity in a giant snow globe and visits form a range of festive performers who will be handing out chocolates and other gifts, to the chance for little travellers to meet Santa and his elves and receive special presents.

Essa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President of Terminal Operations at Dubai Airports, said, “We welcomed new airlines and additional flights at DXB at the start of the winter to help attract a growing number of visitors to Dubai and connect them to even more cities. With the holiday spirit in full swing, we’re prepared for this travel peak – your passport to a memorable experience. Backed by a state-of-the-art airport operations control centre, our dedicated teams across DXB are committed to making the festive travel experience cheerful and bright. Working closely with our partners to ensure your holiday travel is truly magical, we hope the added festive-themed activities will add a touch of wonder to their experience at DXB,”

According to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism recent data, Dubai’s resurgent tourism industry is celebrating a successful first half of 2023 (H1 2023), after welcoming a record 8.55 million international overnight visitors, compared to 8.36 million tourists in H1 2019.

Surpassing pre-pandemic visitation levels and further bolstering the city’s bid to become the world’s most visited destination, the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) represents the industry’s best ever H1 performance.

The 20 per cent year-on-year (YoY) visitation growth contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda 2033, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to consolidate the emirate’s status as one of the world’s top three cities.

The record H1 performance reflects the successful and diverse city-wide drive to market the destination, with the unwavering support of stakeholders and partners, and under the guidance of Dubai’s visionary leadership. It also reaffirms Dubai’s position as the fastest recovering destination globally, and far exceeds the projection made by the United Nations World Trade Organisation that international tourist arrivals could reach between 80-95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels this year.

Crowned No.1 global destination for second year in a row Dubai’s multifaceted offering and its readiness to cater to travellers of different budgets and preferences saw the city being crowned the No.1 global destination for the second successive year in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2023. This is only the second time in history that a city has won the coveted award for two years in a row. DET’s customised programming across markets focused on showcasing the city’s diverse proposition, spanning many leisure touchpoints from heritage to entertainment, outdoor adventures and beach activities, gastronomy, family-oriented experiences, shopping, festivals, sports and events, as well as yachting and cruise tourism.

Robust performance by key regions In the first half of 2023, Western Europe emerged as a significant contributor to tourism arrivals, making up 20 per cent of the total international visitation, while the GCC and Mena regions delivered a combined 28 per cent of the regional share, demonstrating Dubai’s allure as a trusted and favoured destination for visitors from neighbouring markets. South Asia held a 17 per cent share of the total visitation, and Russia, CIS, and Eastern Europe combined contributed 14 per cent. North Asia and South East Asia contributed 8 per cent, while the Americas, Africa and Australasia contributed 7 per cent, 4 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.

Key markets continue to deliver In collaboration with domestic stakeholders and over 3,000 global partners, targeted campaigns highlighting the city’s unique offering, together with its dynamic global appeal and improved connectivity with various continents, resulted in Dubai achieving remarkable growth in key markets in the first half of 2023, notwithstanding current global economic headwinds, and geo-political and air capacity challenges.