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Official data · January 2026

Dubai Tourism Statistics 2026

How many people visit Dubai, where they come from, and how the city's hotels perform — drawn straight from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (Dubai DET) Tourism Performance Report. The demand behind every yacht charter on the water.

Source: Dubai DET, January 2026 · Last updated 2026-07-18

2.00M

+3% YoY

Overnight visitors in January 2026

up from 1.94 million a year earlier

86.2%

+1.9pp

Average hotel occupancy

4.11 million room nights sold

775 AED

+13%

Average daily room rate

RevPAR AED 668 (+16%)

3.79 nights

short stays

Average length of stay

favours half-day & sunset charters

Where visitors come from

Dubai's visitor source markets

Share of the 2.00 million overnight visitors Dubai welcomed in January 2026, by world region. Western Europe leads, but the GCC, CIS and South Asia each send roughly one in seven visitors.

Western Europe 18% · 364K
CIS & Eastern Europe 16% · 325K
GCC 16% · 323K
South Asia 14% · 287K
MENA 12% · 238K
Northeast & Southeast Asia 9% · 173K
Americas 8% · 152K
Africa 4% · 87K
Australasia 2% · 46K

Source: Dubai DET, January 2026. Shares rounded; regions sum to ~100%.

Aerial view of Palm Jumeirah — waterfront villas, a marina full of yachts, and Atlantis on the horizon
Dubai's icons — like Palm Jumeirah — draw visitors from every region. Photo: Dubai DET.
Hotel performance

A premium, high-occupancy market

Occupancy, rates and demand all climbed in January 2026 — evidence of a market with real pricing power, not a discount destination.

Metric January 2026 Prior Change
Overnight visitors 2.00 million 1.94 million +3%
Hotel establishments 827
Hotel rooms 154,754
Average occupancy 86.2% 84.3% +1.9pp
Occupied room nights 4.11 million 4.01 million +2%
Average length of stay 3.79 nights
Average daily rate (ADR) AED 775 AED 683 +13%
RevPAR AED 668 AED 576 +16%

Dubai International (DXB) was the world's busiest airport for international passengers for the 11th consecutive year. Source: Dubai DET.

A crewed private charter yacht cruising past the Burj Al Arab and the Dubai skyline
What the data means for your charter

Record demand, short trips, premium pricing

  • Book ahead in peak season. Visitors and occupancy peak in the cool months (Nov–Mar) — the best charter weather is also the busiest. See the season guide →
  • Short beats long. With an average stay of just 3.79 nights, most visitors want a 2–4 hour or sunset charter, not a full day. Compare charters →
  • Know your market. What a European couple wants differs from a GCC family or an Indian celebration group. Charter guides by market →
  • It's a premium market. With ADR up 13% and RevPAR up 16%, Dubai charges premium rates because demand supports them. See charter pricing →

Dubai tourism statistics — FAQ

How many tourists visited Dubai in January 2026?
Dubai welcomed 2.00 million international overnight visitors in January 2026 — a 3% increase on the same month a year earlier (1.94 million), according to Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
Where do most of Dubai's tourists come from?
Western Europe is the single largest source market at 18% (364K). The CIS & Eastern Europe and the GCC each contribute around 16%, followed by South Asia (14%), MENA (12%) and Northeast & Southeast Asia (9%). Source: Dubai DET.
What is the average hotel stay in Dubai?
The average length of stay was 3.79 nights in January 2026. Because most visitors are on short trips, the most popular yacht charters are short, high-impact experiences — 2–4 hour and sunset cruises rather than full days.
How busy are Dubai's hotels?
Dubai hotels ran at 86.2% average occupancy in January 2026 (up from 84.3%), across 154,754 rooms in 827 establishments — among the highest occupancy of any major global city. Average daily rate rose 13% to AED 775.
Is Dubai tourism still growing?
Yes. Overnight arrivals in January 2026 were up 3% year on year, and Dubai International (DXB) remained the world's busiest airport for international passengers for the 11th year running.
What is the source of this data?
All figures are from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (Dubai DET) Tourism Performance Report for January 2026. DET is the official government tourism authority for Dubai. This page was last reconciled against DET data on 2026-07-18.

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Source & methodology. All figures are drawn from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (Dubai DET) Tourism Performance Report for January 2026, the official government tourism data for Dubai. Regional shares are rounded. Yacht Guide UAE compiles and visualises this data for travellers and operators; we are not affiliated with DET. Last reconciled 2026-07-18.

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