Dubai welcomed 6.97 million international overnight visitors between January and August 2026, with August recording about 869,000 arrivals, according to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
August was the emirate’s strongest month for international visitor numbers since February, with arrivals recording double-digit month-on-month growth since March
The recovery has also been reflected in the hotel sector. Hotel occupancy reached 66% in August, compared with 36% in March, while Dubai’s hotel inventory approached 149,000 rooms. Hotels recorded 21.61 million occupied room nights during the first eight months of the year.
Dubai’s visitor base remains geographically diverse. Western Europe accounted for 20% of international arrivals between January and August, followed by South Asia at 17%, the Gulf Cooperation Council at 16%, and the CIS and Eastern Europe at 14%.
The latest figures were released as Arabian Travel Market 2026 brought the international travel trade together in Dubai from 14–17 September. More than 115 Dubai-based exhibitors are participating, alongside more than 300 international travel trade professionals from over 40 countries through the ATM Hosted Buyers Program.
Emirates adds capacity ahead of winter
The stronger tourism numbers coincide with increased aviation capacity into Dubai. Emirates carried more than 8.6 million passengers in July and August, operating at about 93% of its pre-disruption capacity as it enters the winter travel season.
For Kenyan travelers and travel agents, the airline is set to deploy its A350 on Nairobi services from late October, adding the aircraft to a route that is currently served with three daily flights. The A350 will also be introduced on selected routes to other destinations as Emirates expands capacity for the winter season.
The airline says winter bookings are tracking positively, while more than half a million passengers arrived in Dubai on Emirates flights in late August alone, representing a 7% increase from the same period in 2025.
For Kenyan travel agents, the combination of rising visitor numbers and expanded air capacity provides additional connectivity for clients traveling to Dubai for leisure, shopping, business and stopovers, as well as for passengers connecting through Dubai to destinations across Emirates’ wider network.
