Number of visitor arrivals to Dubai 2023, by country of origin

In 2023, Dubai was a popular destination for Indian travelers. More than six million visitors arrived in the city from India. Compared to previous years, the number of international tourists arriving in UAE declined in 2020, totaling roughly eight million people. However, it has since bounced back, with over 44 million visitors in 2023.

COVID-19 recovery

In the United Arab Emirates, 64 percent of respondents were optimistic about recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic by 2021. By March 2021, the United Arab Emirates had conducted around 30.8 million COVID-19 tests. The tourism industry's GDP share in the United Arab Emirates was forecasted to reach 12 percent by 2025. The projection has been modified to account for the anticipated impact of COVID-19.

GDP contribution and economy

By 2028, the direct tourism contribution to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates was forecast to reach almost 130 billion U.S. dollars. With a Global Financial Centre’s Index score of 721 points in 2020, Dubai was the most appealing financial hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Furthermore, the wholesale and retail sector remained the largest contributor to the GDP of the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, the financial services and insurance, and transportation and storage sectors followed.