Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, the city's highest annual total on record. The result was 5% above the 18.72 million visitors recorded in 2024 and marked a third consecutive record year, according to figures released by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and reported by the Government of Dubai Media Office.
The increase was not limited to visitor numbers. Dubai's hotels filled a larger share of their rooms while charging higher average rates, despite the opening of new properties during the year. For travellers, those figures point to strong demand across the city rather than growth concentrated in one part of the market.
Dubai welcomed 19.59 million visitors in 2025
The full-year total represented roughly 870,000 more international overnight visitors than in 2024. December was the busiest month, with 2.04 million arrivals. That was 6% higher than December 2024 and exceeded the previous monthly record of 1.94 million set in January 2025.
These are visitors who came from outside the UAE and stayed overnight in Dubai. The number should not be confused with airport passenger traffic, which also includes residents, people changing planes and travellers whose destination is elsewhere. It is also not a count of every tourist visiting the UAE.
Where Dubai's visitors came from
Western Europe remained Dubai's largest source region in 2025, contributing 4.1 million visitors, or 21% of the total. The Gulf states supplied 2.99 million visitors, accounting for 15%, while the wider Middle East and North Africa contributed 2.17 million, or 11%.
South Asia and the group covering the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe each contributed about 2.89 million visitors, equal to 15% apiece. North-East and South-East Asia accounted for 1.85 million visitors, the Americas for 1.40 million, Africa for 897,000 and Australasia for 401,000. The spread matters because it shows that Dubai's result was supported by several large regional markets rather than a single source country.
Hotels filled more rooms at higher rates
Dubai ended 2025 with 154,264 hotel rooms across 827 establishments. Average occupancy reached 80.7%, up from 78.2% in 2024. Guests booked 44.85 million occupied room nights during the year, compared with 43.03 million a year earlier, while the average stay remained 3.7 nights.
The average daily room rate rose to AED 579 from AED 538, an increase of 8%. In plain terms, that is the average amount paid for an occupied room, before allowing for the mix of hotels and room types. Revenue per available room increased 11% to AED 467 from AED 421. That second measure spreads room revenue across every room a hotel had available, whether it was occupied or not, so it reflects both pricing and occupancy.
Together, the measures show that Dubai's hotel market sold more room nights, achieved higher occupancy and collected more revenue per available room. They do not mean every traveller paid AED 579 or that every hotel raised prices by the same amount. Citywide averages include budget, mid-market and luxury properties, as well as quieter and busier periods.
What changed from 2024
The comparison with 2024 is important because Dubai added accommodation while demand continued to rise. Visitor numbers increased by 5%, occupancy improved by 2.5 percentage points, the average daily rate climbed by AED 41 and revenue per available room grew by AED 46. The combination suggests that new supply did not prevent existing room capacity from being used more intensively.
The direction was already visible midway through the year. Dubai.News reported that Dubai welcomed 8.68 million international visitors in the first five months of 2025 as hotel occupancy reached 83%. The final figures show that the city sustained that growth through the rest of the year and finished with a record December.
New hotel capacity opened during the year
Several properties joined Dubai's hotel supply in 2025. The official release highlighted openings including Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Ciel Dubai Marina, The Biltmore Hotel Villas, Vida Dubai Mall, Mama Shelter Dubai, Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef, and the first phase of The Heart of Europe development. The range included large hotels, villas and lifestyle properties across different areas of the city.
More rooms give visitors additional choices, but the annual averages do not predict the price or availability for a specific trip. Major exhibitions, school holidays and popular winter weekends can create much tighter conditions than the yearly occupancy figure suggests. Travellers comparing hotels should check the exact dates, cancellation terms and total price, including taxes and fees.
How the figures were compiled
The visitor and hotel figures come from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism's December 2025 performance report. The visitor total covers international overnight arrivals. Hotel results are reported across licensed establishments and include room inventory, occupied room nights, length of stay, occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room.
This definition makes the data useful for comparing one year with another, but it has limits. It does not count day visitors in the same way, and it should not be used as a measure of total footfall at attractions or the number of passengers using Dubai's airports. Hotel averages also combine properties with very different prices, locations and service levels.
Dubai tourism 2025: the key figures
Dubai recorded 19.59 million international overnight visitors, up 5% year on year. December brought a record 2.04 million visitors. The city had 154,264 rooms in 827 hotel establishments, average occupancy of 80.7%, 44.85 million occupied room nights and an average stay of 3.7 nights. The average daily room rate was AED 579 and revenue per available room was AED 467.
Sources
The complete monthly and year-to-date figures are available in the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism's Tourism Performance Report for December 2025. The Government of Dubai Media Office also published the full-year announcement and regional breakdown on 9 February 2026.
