Dubai tourism hits strongest monthly visitor numbers since February as ATM 2026 opens
Hotel occupancy climbs sharply as room inventory nears 149,000
DUBAI – Dubai’s tourism industry is increasingly demonstrating its strength, with the city’s hotel sector delivering sustained performance growth, according to the latest data released by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) ahead of the opening day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026.
The performance through August reflects the strength of the systems, partnerships and diversified market base that Dubai and its partners have built over the years. It also highlights the continued investment and innovation across the industry as the emirate prepares for the final months of 2026.
Dubai tourism performance
Hotel occupancy reached 66% in August, representing 89% of the city’s occupancy level in August 2025 and continuing a steep climb from 36% occupancy in March 2026.
The sustained upward trajectory comes as Dubai’s hospitality sector continues to operate at significant scale. As a number of properties have begun implementing extensive renovation projects to further elevate the guest experience and strengthen future readiness, hotel room inventory approached 149,000 rooms by the end of August 2026.
During the first eight months of the year, hotels across the emirate recorded 21.61 million occupied room nights, underscoring the scale of activity within Dubai’s accommodation sector.
The strong hotel performance was reflected in visitor numbers, with Dubai welcoming approximately 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026.
The August figure built on month-on-month, double-digit growth recorded since March and represented Dubai’s strongest monthly visitor volume since February 2026. Total international visitation reached 6.97 million across the first eight months of the year.
Diverse markets
Dubai continued to attract visitors from a broad mix of international source regions during the January to August period.
Western Europe remained the leading regional contributor, accounting for 20% of total visitation. South Asia followed with 17%, while the GCC contributed 16% and CIS and Eastern Europe accounted for 14%.
The diversified source market base provides DET and its partners with a broad international audience through which they can continue to stimulate demand across both established and emerging markets.
The performance also aligns with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which seeks to further consolidate Dubai’s position as a leading global destination for business and leisure while building a resilient and future-focused visitor economy.
Dubai’s tourism industry is increasingly demonstrating its strength, with the city’s hotel sector delivering sustained performance growth, according to the latest data released by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM)… pic.twitter.com/bKqaiRoVdK
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 13, 2026
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, said the city’s tourism sector had continued to deliver despite challenging conditions.
“The true grit of any city is tested not when the path is smooth, but during challenging times, and in line with our leadership’s direction, we do not wait for the perfect conditions to continue delivering,” Kazim said.
He said the results recorded so far in 2026 reflected the continued efforts of those contributing to Dubai’s visitor economy, including global hospitality and tourism partners and people across the city who contribute to the visitor experience.
Kazim added that Dubai’s tourism industry had performed strongly in recent months, supported by significant international visitor volumes, a consistently diverse source market mix, extensive hospitality infrastructure and an evolving destination offering.
ATM 2026
The 33rd edition of Arabian Travel Market is taking place from September 14 to 17 at Dubai World Trade Centre, bringing together the global travel and tourism community at a key point for the industry.
The event provides DET and its partners with an opportunity to strengthen relationships with the international travel trade, develop opportunities across key markets and showcase the continued evolution of Dubai as a tourism destination.
“Arabian Travel Market marks an important opportunity to build on that progress and support our industry,” Kazim said.
He said the event allows Dubai to engage with partners from around the world, understand developments in their respective markets and work together to identify emerging opportunities.
DET is joined at ATM 2026 by more than 115 co-exhibitors from across Dubai’s tourism ecosystem. The participating organisations include hotel groups, attractions, destination management companies and aviation partners, alongside government entities.
Their participation reflects the public-private partnership model underpinning Dubai’s tourism strategy and enables the emirate to present a broad and integrated destination offering to travel trade professionals from around the world.
The department is also hosting more than 300 international travel trade professionals from more than 40 countries through its ATM Hosted Buyers Programme.
The initiative provides buyers who promote and sell Dubai with first-hand exposure to the destination, while creating opportunities to meet tourism stakeholders directly, discover new products and experiences, and deepen their understanding of the city’s evolving visitor offering.
Destination offering
Across ATM 2026, DET and its partners are showcasing the continued development of Dubai’s tourism proposition across a wide range of sectors.
The offering spans hospitality, gastronomy, culture, entertainment, wellness, accessibility, sustainability and family experiences, reflecting the breadth of activities available to visitors.
Dubai’s focus for 2026 also includes strengthening global connectivity, further enhancing accessibility for autistic and sensory-sensitive visitors, and advancing initiatives such as Dubai Sustainable Tourism and Dubai Can.
Throughout the year, DET has continued to expand the ways it reaches international audiences while strengthening advocacy for Dubai across key source markets.
Its activities include engagement with international travel trade representatives, market briefings and roadshows, international campaigns and partnerships tailored to priority markets.
Among the recent initiatives was the DET-driven ‘A Dubai Invite’, which empowered Dubai residents from almost 200 nationalities to invite family and friends to experience the city.
More than 90,000 residents applied for benefits through the programme, which was designed to support destination advocacy while strengthening Dubai’s reach through its diverse resident community.
Together, these activities are intended to recognise residents and partners as valuable ambassadors, maintain Dubai’s visibility, favourability and consideration, deepen relationships across priority markets and support future demand.
Support packages
Earlier this year, amid a regional situation that affected global travel, the Government of Dubai delivered a Dh2.5 billion package directly supporting the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors.
Dubai has also rapidly rescaled its global connectivity, spearheaded by Emirates, which has restored 97% of its global network.
At Dubai International Airport (DXB), load factors have continued to strengthen and are approaching 2025 levels, supporting the recovery in visitor flows and the wider tourism ecosystem.
The aviation network remains a central component of Dubai’s ability to attract visitors from a wide range of international markets, complementing the emirate’s extensive hotel inventory and diversified tourism offering.
At ATM 2026, DET’s programme will continue throughout the four-day event with meetings, partner engagements and industry discussions. The focus will remain on strengthening Dubai’s international tourism relationships, identifying opportunities across established and emerging markets and supporting future demand across the emirate’s tourism economy.