Travel Industry, News and Analytics

Dubai Reaches a 1 Year Milestone Since It Has Reopened to Foreign Guests

This month, Dubai marks an important date – it has been one year since the emirate reopened its borders for international travelers on July 7, 2020. The pandemic messed the plans of many countries around the world. What year was it for the emirate’s hospitality industry? Did hotels in Dubai get any guests or manage to become profitable? The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (or simply Dubai Tourism) published a report that casts some light upon the visitor statistics.

According to the report, more than 3.7 million overnight travelers arrived in Dubai during the period from July 2020 to May 2021. This once again proves an important role of Dubai in global tourism. More than 1.7 million visitors out of 3.7 million arrived between July and December 2020, and the remaining 2 million guests visited the city during the first five months of 2021. This proves that tourism rebounds despite the troubles caused by the pandemic. The diversity of source markets is another reason for such a high number of guests during the COVID-19 era. This is a fundamental strength of Dubai. Many destinations that rely primarily on visitors from certain countries faced a drastic decline in the number of tourists.

Despite a decent number of guests, Dubai has remained one of the safest destinations in the world because of its precautionary regime. The city hasn’t dropped its plans to host Expo 2020 and expects to use its high safety standards to ensure security and an enjoyable experience for all guests.

Of course, travel restrictions made it much harder for Dubai hotels to maintain their occupancy levels. India and the UK remained the top source markets for Dubai, followed by Russia, Pakistan, and Egypt. The city also recorded a growing number of guests from certain CIS countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan, as well as from some East African countries like Sudan and Ethiopia. All these countries have been in the top 15 source markets for the emirate since its reopening in July 2020.

With added domestic demand from Emiratis and expatriates, the occupancy of hotels in Dubai grew from 35% in July 2020 to 58% in May 2021. The occupancy was the highest in December 2020 (69%), followed by strong January 2021 with hotel occupancy of 66%. This made Dubai hotels the second most occupied globally after Singapore and ahead of such prominent tourist destinations as Paris and London.

Individual City Guides

Ptuj travel guide

Many tourists include a visit to the old town of Ptuj into their vacation plan in Slovenia. The rich architectural and cultural heritage of the Slovenian settlement makes an acquaintance with local attractions truly exciting. Do you like exploring interesting places? In Ptuj, you can visit an old castle and wonderful old wine cellars that have been storing famous local wine for centuries. Local people are still engaged in winemaking, so tourists can always buy a bottle of the fragrant drink as a … Read further

Cuisine of Cascais

The description of the best restaurants of Cascais will be not complete without mentioning Fortaleza do Guincho. It specializes in the local cuisine, but also offers its visitors popular dishes from the international cuisine. The Fortaleza do Guincho restaurant is distinguished by the elegantly decorated hall. In the evening this place traditionally charms its visitors with its romantic atmosphere. The restaurant often organizes interesting entertainment programs for its guests. Despite the fact … Read further

Traditions and festivals in Houston

Multicultural city of Houston is sure to please its guests with a rich and diverse cultural program. A vast majority of local inhabitants are immigrants from Mexico and Asian countries; naturally, it has reflected in the cultural life of the city. One of the brightest and most interesting national holidays starts at the end of February, it is the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Festival. The holiday lasts for twenty days; each year the festival is visited by over two million visitors from all over … Read further

Gelsenkirchen cultural sights

Among cultural attractions of the city, it's worth noting the Musical Theater, the construction of which started in 1956 and lasted three years. The beautiful theater building is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the postwar period. The theater's huge hall can accommodate 1005 people at a time, offering luxurious design and unique acoustics. Several important historical sights have been preserved within the city and its outskirts. Most of the buildings were destroyed … Read further

Inverness attractions and entertainment

Inverness can be proud because of a rich choice of natural attractions and sports facilities. The city is popular with fans of ecotourism. A beautiful garden of Floral Hall is located near the center of the city. It will surely become an excellent spot for fans of nature. The garden is equipped with numerous trails for hiking. Visitors will also find there cozy gazebos and benches. This is the place where the locals love to relax. While kids have fun in playgrounds, parents can get in the shade … Read further

Agadir for families and kids

Agadir with its picturesque markets and national sights is rarely chosen for vacation by travelers with children. Well, they should because there are so many interesting things there. One of the most popular holiday destinations for guests of the city is the Agadir Beach - the largest and most beautiful in Agadir. The length of this beach is about 5 kilometers, so its visitors can easily find a secluded place to relax. The coast is sandy. As a result, it is quite comfortable for relaxation with … Read further

Shopping in Auckland

You can find everything you want in Auckland. If you want to buy branded items, cosmetics, perfumes, clothing, and shoes from Europe and the United States companies, then you should wait for the sales season. It starts a few weeks before Christmas. You can find quality products at really great discounts at this time. Prices in the city are no lower than the cost of similar products in other parts of the world outside of sales. Prices may even be higher in some places. This is due to the high … Read further

Extreme and fun in Leiria

Active Holidays on the Island of Berlenga Grande. You can visit the island of Berlenga Grande during your holiday in Leiria. The National Park is located here. Not many people come here. You can admire the picturesque coast, where there are rocks, the azure of the Atlantic Ocean, meadows, and an active lighthouse. There are several options for active recreation here. For example, if you like diving you can go scuba diving in caves and grottos located under the water, which is always clean … Read further