The bulk of foreign tourists that descended on Dubai during Eid were from Gulf countries, mainly due to the geographical proximity and facilities offered by the UAE to visitors via land, sea and airports, according to a statement from the Dubai Government Media Office.
The number of visitors from the rest of the Arab world has increased significantly, with Dubai's growing competitiveness in tourism in light of the ambitious vision of the emirate to further enhance contribution to the sector. Family tourism has witnessed a considerable growth overall, supported by a wide range of tourist attractions in the emirate.
Dubai's 'Tourism Vision for 2020', announced earlier this year, plans to double the city's annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020 and will treble the annual economic contribution made by the tourism sector.
The project is spearheaded by Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), and is under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.
Statistics from the DTCM reveal that Dubai hotels experienced high demand during the three-day Eid holiday, as the combined average occupancy level in hotels and deluxe apartments in the emirate rose to 86 per cent, confirming that Dubai is on the right track to achieve its vision. The DTCM also claim that anecdotal evidence from Dubai's malls indicates a highly successful period, with many retailers reporting record footfalls and high spend.
"The figures for the Eid-Al-Fitr weekend are encouraging and indicate further progress towards achieving our Tourism Vision for 2020," says His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing Department.
He adds: "Having recently announced Dubai's first half tourism results - with total visitor numbers exceeding 5.5 million from January to June 2013 - we are on track for this year's targets and making strong inroads into achieving our medium- and long-term aims."
"Recording such strong results during the hottest months of the year, when visitor numbers have typically been at their lowest, indicates that our strategy of targeted marketing and building our family tourism offering is meeting with a positive response from travellers."
Guest numbers across five-, four- and three-star hotels also reflected a busy Eid weekend with average occupancy levels of 75 per cent, 77 per cent and 87 per cent respectively from August 8 to 10, while deluxe hotel apartments recorded an average occupancy level of 86 per cent for the same period.
Guest numbers across all hotels were equally strong, five-star hotels received 32,325 guests; four-star hotels recorded a total of 18,749 guests; three-star hotels saw some 14,836 guests over the Eid weekend and deluxe hotel apartments recorded.
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