Around 4 million people visited Dubai in Q1 this year, a 214% increase compared to the same quarter in 2021, according to Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

In addition, Dubai also topped the global rankings in regard to hotel occupancy, with establishments reporting a rate of 82% between January and March.

These "figures confirm the strength of our tourism sector" and Dubai's top position within the industry, the Crown Prince stated.

"The tourism sector is a major tributary of the national economy, and we are continuing to work on developing its capabilities and opening new horizons for growth in cooperation with local and international partners to consolidate Dubai's position as a leading global destination," he went on to say.

Dubai was one of the first locations to reopen its doors to tourists in June 2020, after measures were implemented to curb the Covid pandemic, reports The National.

Dubai’s economy expanded 6.3% year-on-year between January and September 2021, as per initial data from the Dubai Statistics Centre.  Dubai’s economy grew around 5.5% in 2021, says Emirates NBD, an upwards revision from the previous 4% prediction.

These latest figures highlight the ongoing recovery in Dubai’s tourism sector. Last year, the emirate hosted 7.28 million international overnight visitors, a 32% rise year-on-year, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

In Q4 2021, more than 3.4 million overseas visitors headed to Dubai, 74% of the total tourist arrivals before the pandemic in Q4 2019.

The DET added that growth in overseas visitors in 2021 was driven by India, reaching 910,000, followed by Saudi Arabia with 491,000. Russia was next with 444,000 and the UK with 420,000.