Dubai’s evolving destination offering, driven by impactful public-private partnerships and amplified through a robust global marketing strategy, resulted in the city welcoming 9.88 million international overnight visitors from January to June 2025, a 6 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to data published by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

Partnerships, global campaigns, events, and a series of new openings showcased Dubai to both new and returning international visitors, while DET’s bespoke market strategy, working in collaboration with more than 3,000 global and domestic partners, led to growth in key regions

According to the DET data, the GCC and MENA proximity markets had a combined 26 per cent share of overall visitors to Dubai from January to June 2025, with 1.51 million (15 per cent) and 1.12 million (11 per cent) arrivals, respectively. Western Europe was the largest source market to Dubai, with 2.12 million visitors (22 per cent), followed by CIS and Eastern Europe with 1.52 million (15 per cent), South Asia 1.44 million (15 per cent), North East and South East Asia 894,000 (9 per cent), the Americas 689,000 (7 per cent), Africa 404,000 (4 per cent) and Australasia with 176,000 (2 per cent).
Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Visit Dubai), part of DET, said, “Dubai’s tourism performance reflects the strength of public-private partnerships and the power of community, which have been instrumental in showcasing Dubai’s destination offering to the world. Our residents, businesses and visitors have played a supporting role in our tourism success, with their authentic voices and genuine advocacy promoting the city and its unique experiences. Dubai has become even more accessible, with a robust infrastructure and a business-friendly environment that fosters collaboration, while a year-round calendar of leisure, trade and MICE events have further diversified the city’s visitor base and generated significant economic impact. In collaboration with our key stakeholders, we remain committed to enhancing quality of life for visitors and residents through infrastructure development and sustained investment in capacity to attract new international audiences.”