Dubai in 2026: 19.59 million visitors in 2025, hotel occupancy at 66% in August, property sales AED 286bn in H1
Editorial
Visitors hit a record in 2025. In 2026 the numbers dipped hard in March and have been recovering since, while property sales are below last year's record.
Tourism
19.59mInternational overnight visitors, 2025+5%
80.7%Hotel occupancy, 2025 (2024: 78.2%)+2.5 points
2.04mDecember 2025 visitors, the first month above 2 million
6.97mVisitors, January to August 2026
869,000August 2026 visitors, highest since February
Source: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism; Dubai Media Office.
| Tourism measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 visitors | 18.72 million | DET via Gulf News |
| Largest source region 2025 | Western Europe, 4.1 million (21%) | DET via Gulf News |
| Hotel rooms, end of August 2026 | About 149,000 | DET |
| Occupied room nights, January to August 2026 | 21.61 million | DET |
| Dubai International passengers, H1 2026 | 31.5 million, down 31.3% | Trade outlet; not checked |
Property
AED 286.4bnProperty sales, H1 2026 (79,229 deals)about -12%
AED 326.6bnProperty sales, H1 2025, the record
AED 419.9bnAll real estate transactions, H1 2026 (112,850)
AED 102bn+Mortgage transactions, H1 2026 (22,000+)
AED 252bnTransactions in Q1 2026 (DLD)+31% value
H1 2025 figure is from Arabian Business; H1 2026 from Khaleej Times.
AED 286.4bn
- Off-plan: AED 139.8bn (58,800 deals)
- Ready property: AED 146.7bn (27,200 deals)
Source: Khaleej Times on Dubai Land Department data.