Dubai’s tourism sector is recovering at a robust pace, supported by a successful start to Expo 2020 and an effective COVID-19 management that has seen the number of new cases drop to below 100 per day, according to an Emirates NBD report.

“Much of the data released reflects a very solid recovery across nearly all metrics of the tourism sector, and we expect the following months to reflect similar stamina, so long as global COVID-19 headwinds remain contained,” said the bank’s Head of Macro Strategy, Shady Elborno.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which kicked off on October 1, has proven a visitor drawcard, with the number of people attending the event so far expected to exceed four million this week, according to Expo officials.

With more people flocking to the city to visit Expo and other business events, Dubai’s hotel occupancy surged to 80.7 per cent in October, up from 67.2 percent in September and 58 per cent in August, STR Global revealed.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 54 per cent month-on-month in October compared to a 10.2 per cent increase in September and 9.5 per cent increase in August.

A general uptick in international tourism footfall, coupled with a busy schedule of events and conferences and the easing of pandemic-related travel restrictions in key source markets, are accelerating the ongoing recovery of Dubai’s tourism sector, said the report.

“Those factors are likely to continue to support the tourism market into the first quarter of next year, helping place the market back onto a more normalised footing after the impact of the pandemic on this economically important sector,” it added.

emiratesnbd.com