2023.. Tourism boom in SAUDI & Dubai.. Goodbye Covid 19

After hit and run, global tourism and the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Dubai are able to regain most of the lands lost to the epidemic and approach the levels before the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, with expectations that the tourism sector in 2023 will exceed the levels before the epidemic.
The good news, is that we can now enjoy the tourist and entertainment attractions in Dubai and the Emirates without fear of the epidemic or restrictions that impede the flow of tourists and their movement between different places.
Meanwhile, Tourists will enjoy again the distinctive Saudi coffee and traditional meal “Kabsa”, and move between the Holy Religious Places and entertainment facilities, after the Kingdom was able to overcome the devastating effects of the Covid-19 epidemic on the tourism and entertainment sector.
They can visit and enjoy landmarks & culinary heritage cities like Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Jouf which sitting in the middle of crucial historical trade routes.

Always Dubai
As saying goes: numbers don’t lie, Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai revealed that the total number of new hotel rooms that have opened in Dubai since the start of the (Covid-19) pandemic has reached about 13,000 new hotel rooms.
According to the department, the number of hotel rooms in Dubai increased from 127.8 thousand hotel rooms at the end of February 2020, to 140.7 thousand hotel rooms at the end of May 2022, while the number of hotel establishments increased from 745 hotel establishments at the end of February 2020 to 772 facilities at the end of May 2022.
At this period, luxury hotel rooms of the “five-star” category accounted for 34% of the total volume of the hotel market in Dubai, with more than 48.3 thousand hotel rooms within 148 hotel establishments.
Hotels classified between “three stars” and “one star” accounted for about 19% of the total volume of the hotel market, with a capacity of more than 26.2 thousand hotel rooms within 252 hotel establishments.
The Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai confirmed that the tourism sector in the emirate continued its strong performance since the beginning of the year 2022, with continued growth, achieving very positive results during the period from January to May 2022.
A closer look at the figures also reveals that the Dubai hotels, in general, maintained an average occupancy level of 76% for the first five months of 2022.
https://www.dubaitourism.gov.ae/en/

Lights of hope
in this regard, The World Tourism Organization (WTO) stated that the UAE tourism market recorded a growth of 3% in the number of international visitors during the first seven months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2019, before the levels of the pandemic, noting that the UAE ranked in the list of markets best recovering from the repercussions of the pandemic.
In a related context, hotel facilities in the UAE received about six million visitors, who spent 25 million hotel nights during the first quarter of 2022.
https://www.unwto.org/news

Highest levels
According to the report of the international organization, the UAE market recorded strong performance levels in indicators of the recovery of the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, influx of tourists and visitors to the UAE reached its highest levels during the period between February and April, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The report stated that the European and Middle East markets were the fastest in recovery between January and July 2022, with the number of international visitors reaching 74% and 76% for each, respectively.
https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visiting-and-exploring-the-uae

10% Increase In Hotel Nights
Domestically, hotel establishments in the country attracted about six million visitors who spent 25 million hotel nights during the first quarter of 2022, with a growth of 10% compared to the same period in 2019, while the average length of stay of guests of hotel grew by 25%, up from three to four hotel nights.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate of hotel establishments in the country during this period reached 80%, which is among the highest rates in the world.
Hotel establishments were able to return to work at their full capacity, with about 200,000 hotel rooms, and achieved revenues of 11 billion dirhams during the first quarter of this 2022, a growth of 20% compared to the same period in 2019.
The tourism and hospitality sector in the UAE benefited from the holding of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, because the UAE became a preferred destination for fan’s residence and travel, taking advantage of its proximity to Qatar.
https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/justice-safety-and-the-law/handling-the-covid-19-outbreak/safety-standards-for-tourism-and-retail-establishments-amid-covid-19

Tourism boom
The aviation sector was able to recover strongly from the Covid 19 Pandemic, after the number of travelers, exceeded the barrier of 20 million passengers during the first quarter of 2022. During the first three months of 2022, the number of transit passengers out of the total number of passengers through the country’s airports reached about seven million, with a growth rate of 203% compared to the same period last year.
Now, places and tourist attractions in Dubai and the UAE are preparing to welcome groups of tourists, and the Burj Khalifa shines with lights of hope to compensate what the tourism sector lost due to the epidemic.

S.A ON TOP
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia topped the G20 or Group of Twenty in the rate of tourist influx during the first seven months of the year 2022, according to the latest reports issued by the World Tourism Organization.
This achievement reinforces the Kingdom’s position on the global tourism map, and confirms the validity of the Saudi government’s policy to raise the contribution of the tourism sector to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, in accordance with the ambitious goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 .
According to the World Tourism Organization, the Kingdom has achieved extraordinary results in the influx of tourists at a rate exceeding 121%, in the period from January to July 2022, and the organization’s report indicated that the rate of tourism spending in the Kingdom far exceeded the levels of pre pandemic period.
The tourism sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the fastest growing in the world, as it recorded a growth rate of 14%, compared to the period before the Corona pandemic.
This sector is witnessing currently a rapid recovery from the consequences of the pandemic, especially with the lifting of precautionary and preventive measures after the rate of HIV infections declined to low levels.
https://www.visitsaudi.com/en?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtICdBhCLARIsALUBFcGa2ZE2UXCytTkSQ2o19z4wy2shVcJODXF8NICPVM-pQAbhc-IduIIaAq89EALw_wcB

Recovery of World Tourism
Furthermore, international tourism continued to achieve remarkable growth rates during the last period, estimated at about 57%, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The number of international tourists almost tripled, by 172%, compared to last year’s levels. This steady recovery is an indication of the strong demand for international travel.
The World Travel and Tourism Council expects the travel and tourism sector to return to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2023, and to grow at a rate that exceeds the global GDP growth rate.
A report issued by the Council at a conference in Manila stated that the sector is expected to record an average annual growth rate of 5.8% in the period from 2022 to 2032, compared to an expected average growth of GDP of 2.7% in the same period, and to provide 126 million new job opportunities.
In 2019, the tourism sector was responsible for a tenth of the gross domestic product and jobs, but the Corona Virus Pandemic undermined the sector, which is estimated to be worth about $ 9.6 trillion, halving the value of its revenues, and causing 62 million people to be laid off from their jobs .
China’s policy to contain the COVID-19 disease and continued lockdown measures there have disrupted global trade and the tourism sector.
https://wttc.org/