Dubai’s tourism sector is heading into the final months of 2026 on a rising curve. In an interview with Gulf Business, Hoor Al Khaja – SVP of International Operations at DCTCM – set out what powered the city’s visitor rebound: 869,000 international visitors in August (the highest since February) took the first eight months of 2026 to 6.97 million, with hotel occupancy at 66 per cent.
Why the Source-Market Mix Barely Moved
What interests Al Khaja most is the shape of the mix: Western Europe 20 per cent, South Asia 17 per cent, the GCC 16 per cent, and CIS and Eastern Europe 14 per cent – barely shifted despite months of regional disruption. “The mix is within roughly plus or minus 1 per cent,” she said. “I find that very healthy, and it was a data point we were very proud of.”
Airline access is the foundation, she added: “We do not rely on one, two, 10 or even 20 source markets. At any given point, we are active in more than 80.”
The March Response: How the Comeback Was Built
Al Khaja credits an unusually fast government-private sector response starting in March: in the second week of the month, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed convened a special business majlis, while DET director general Helal Almarri met directly with hotel groups and airlines. Two incentive packages followed – Dhs1bn in late March and Dhs1.5bn in May – totalling Dhs2.5bn for tourism, hospitality, events and other affected sectors.
“Starting in March, it was the extremely fast response and the alignment between government and the private sector,” she said. “Private-sector needs are put first when it comes to policymaking and decisions.”
Asked what value mattered most to her teams this year, her answer was immediate: “I’ll say the first thing that comes to mind: trust. Trust played a bigger role this year than anything else.”
A Dubai Invite: Residents Became the City’s Best Salespeople
DET’s most unusual campaign this year asked residents to nominate friends and family to visit: “A Dubai Invite” offered around Dhs3,000 in sponsor benefits – hotel and restaurant vouchers – to those who did.
“What we saw was that some of our biggest advocates were residents. They spoke for the city perhaps even better than we could have ourselves,” Al Khaja said. The campaign drew around 90,000 applicants in a city of “more than 200 nationalities”. Applications have closed, but nominated visitors are still arriving: “It is a win-win: the city wins, residents win, and their friends and relatives get to experience Dubai.”
A More Connected UAE: Visit UAE and the Grand Tour
DCTCM and DET now sit inside the Visit UAE ecosystem, the country’s first unified national tourism identity, led by Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, while the UAE Grand Tour offers multi-emirate itineraries of up to 14 days across all seven emirates, with Dubai packages built in.
“Anything that elevates the UAE elevates all of us together,” Al Khaja said. “Increased access is a plus for everyone, so we are very excited about it.”
Winter Season: Dubai’s Outdoor Pitch
Dubai already sees itself as a year-round destination, Al Khaja said, but the pitch shifts with the calendar: winter leans into outdoor adventures and nature; summer is the value-driven season, carried by indoor options like IMG and the waterparks. “We have been working towards that for years,” she said.
The winter calendar is filling up – Global Village opens Season 31 on October 14 and Dubai Parks and Resorts reopens in October – while her remarks came on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market 2026, where Dubai’s stand gathered more than 115 co-exhibitors.
Dubai Tourism Recovery FAQs
How many tourists visited Dubai in 2026?
Around 869,000 international visitors arrived in August – the highest monthly total since February – taking the first eight months of 2026 to 6.97 million, with August hotel occupancy at 66 per cent.
What is the A Dubai Invite campaign?
A DET campaign that made residents tourism ambassadors: those who nominated friends and family to visit could receive around Dhs3,000 in sponsor benefits, including hotel and restaurant vouchers. It drew around 90,000 applicants; applications are closed, but nominated visitors are still arriving.
What is the UAE Grand Tour?
Multi-emirate itineraries of up to 14 days across all seven emirates, launched with the Visit UAE national tourism identity, with Dubai packages built in.
Is Dubai a year-round destination?
DCTCM’s position: winter is pitched around outdoor adventures and nature, while summer is the value-driven season with strong indoor options like IMG and the waterparks.
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