The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism is hosting more than 300 international travel professionals from over 40 countries as part of the “ATM Hosted Buyers Program.” While the hotel sector stands out for its strong performance, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and its partners are leveraging the industry’s leading event to deepen global commercial ties and boost future demand. Hotel occupancy rates in Dubai reached 66% in August 2026, hitting 89% of the occupancy level recorded during the same period last year.
According to the latest data released by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) on the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, as Dubai’s tourism sector continues to strengthen, the city’s hotel sector is also maintaining a steady upward trend in performance.
The performance recorded through the end of August highlights the strength of the robust systems, partnerships, and diversified market structure that Dubai and its stakeholders have built over the years. These results also demonstrate the sector’s commitment to continuing to invest, develop innovations, and provide high-standard services to its guests, while reinforcing confidence in the destination’s position as we enter the final months of 2026.
In August, the hotel occupancy rate reached 66%, amounting to 89% of the level recorded in August 2025. This rate also signaled a strong upward trend that has continued since the 36% occupancy rate recorded in March 2026. This steady increase stands out as a clear sign of the underlying demand and strength of Dubai’s hospitality sector. As many hotels embarked on extensive renovation projects to further enhance the guest experience and strengthen their preparations for the future, Dubai’s hotel room capacity approached 149,000 by the end of August 2026. A total of 21.61 million occupied room nights were recorded in Dubai’s hotels during the first eight months of the year, once again highlighting the scale of the sector’s operations.
The strong performance in the hotel sector was also reflected in visitor numbers. Dubai hosted approximately 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026, continuing to post double-digit monthly growth since March. As a result, August 2026 marked the highest monthly visitor count since February, and the total number of international overnight visitors to Dubai in the first eight months of the year reached 6.97 million.
Dubai continued to attract a broad and diverse range of visitors from different regions of the world. During the January–August period, Western Europe was the largest source region, accounting for 20% of total visitors, followed by South Asia at 17%, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries at 16%, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe at 14%. This diversified market structure provides the DET and its stakeholders with a broad international base from which to increase demand in both existing and emerging markets. This structure also aligns with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to further strengthen Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for business and leisure travel and to build a resilient, future-focused visitor economy.
Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), which operates under the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, stated: “A city’s true resilience is tested not during smooth sailing, but in challenging times. In line with our leadership’s vision, we do not wait for ideal conditions to resume our work. The results achieved so far this year reflect the efforts of everyone contributing to Dubai’s visitor economy—from our global hospitality and tourism partners to all stakeholders in the city who collectively shape the visitor experience in Dubai. At a time when Dubai continues to welcome international visitors on a significant scale—thanks to its broad and diversified source market structure, comprehensive hospitality infrastructure, and ever-evolving destination experiences—we take pride in the performance our industry has demonstrated in recent months. The Arabian Travel Market presents a key opportunity to further advance this progress and support our industry. The event allows us to come together with our business partners from around the world, listen to the developments they’ve observed in their own markets, and jointly assess areas of opportunity. “Our focus is on maintaining close partnerships within our industry, strengthening demand in both existing and emerging markets, and continuing to offer visitors compelling reasons to choose Dubai. These strong foundations and partnerships allow us to look forward with confidence to the remainder of 2026 and beyond,” he said.
The 33rd edition of ATM, held at the Dubai World Trade Center from September 14–17, brings together the global travel and tourism industry in Dubai during a critical period for the sector, as markets focus on boosting demand and identifying new opportunities. For DET and its partners, the event serves as a key platform to strengthen ties with the international travel sector, develop new opportunities in key markets, and showcase Dubai’s ongoing transformation as a destination.
