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UAE flights: Emirates records busiest summer ever, carries 2 million passengers to Dubai alone

Airline says forward booking trends indicate unabated demand for international travel to and via the emirate

Dubai remained a hugely popular destination for foreign tourists during summer with two million passengers flying to the city with its flagship carrier Emirates alone, making it one of the busiest summers for the airline.

This affirmed that Dubai is a now year-round destination for tourists from around the world, greatly benefiting from the ‘revenge travel’ in the post-pandemic period. The city recorded 8.55 million international visitors in the first six months of 2023, surpassing its pre-Covid numbers of 8.36 figures while hotel occupancy reaching nearly full during festivals.

Thanks to various indoor sports, cultural and other entertainment activities across malls, Dubai is one of the top cities in the world for tourists to explore during the summer. A survey released by Germany’s global hotel and accommodation search platform Trivago in June ranked Dubai third destination where the US travellers will be heading to this summer, after Honolulu and Tokyo.

Emirates airline revealed that the top inbound markets to Dubai during summer were UK, India, Germany, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt and Kuwait.

Importantly, more than 35 per cent of people flying to Dubai were families, staying an average of over two weeks to enjoy and experience the city’s sites and attractions, the world’s largest international carrier said.

“Travel demand across our network has been strong and resilient despite rising cost-of-living pressures in many markets. It shows the value that people place on travel – whether for work, play, study, or visiting loved ones; and how essential international air connectivity is to communities,” said Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer at Emirates airline.

Outlook promising

Overall, the Dubai-based carrier on Wednesday revealed that it carried more than 14 million passengers with an average load factor surpassing 80 per cent between June and August across its entire route network.

From June to August, Emirates operated nearly 50,000 flights to and from 140 cities.

The airline is projecting another spike in demand for travel to Dubai as the city runs a packed calendar of global conferences, world-class sporting events and more.

Going forward, Emirates’ said its booking trends show unabated demand for international travel across its network.

Later this year, Dubai will also host COP28 which will see heads of state of various countries, senior industry executives and media personnel from across the globe flocking to the city to attend the high-profile event, giving a fillip to local travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

“We’re happy to see strong customer preference for our product in all cabin classes, especially in our premium cabins. Emirates will continue to ensure we are delivering the best value for money to our customers, by investing in our products, services, and in operating an efficient global network,” said Kazim.

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