Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) reported 6.97 million international overnight visitors in the first eight months of 2026 in its Tourism Performance Report published on 9 September. In a separate 13 September account, Emirates News Agency reported approximately 869,000 visitors in August. The August visitor total was the highest monthly volume since February, according to the report. These figures offer a current view of travel demand through the summer, rather than a full-year total or a forecast for all of 2026. The reporting period covers January through August.

DET explains that its international-visitor measure adjusts downward for travellers arriving through Dubai Airport but not spending a night in the emirate. It adjusts upward for people who enter through another emirate and stay in Dubai, as well as an estimated share of visitors staying with friends or relatives, based on the department’s visitor survey. The 6.97 million figure is therefore not a raw border-crossing count or a Dubai International Airport passenger total. The report also says hotel data include residents and travellers who check into or change hotels within a short period, described as hotel hoppers. Administrative accommodation figures and the international-visitor estimate do not cover identical populations, so they should not be added together.

WAM reported that Dubai’s room inventory was close to 149,000 at the end of August and that hotels recorded 21.61 million occupied room nights over January–August. Visitors were also distributed across several source regions: Western Europe accounted for 20% of visits from January through August, South Asia 17%, the Gulf Cooperation Council 16%, and the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe 14%. These are source-market shares, not visitor spending or the profitability of each market.

The release provides a useful period comparison for tracking visitor volumes and hotel demand together. Occupancy alone, however, does not reveal room prices, operating profits, visitor spending per trip or the productivity of new accommodation capacity. Room supply, refurbishment work, seasonality and length of stay can affect the outcome. Nor should the cumulative total for the first eight months be compared directly with the one-month August observation. A year-end assessment will require later reports using comparable definitions and adjustments. DET’s data provide a current indicator, but do not by themselves establish tourism’s effect on total revenue or employment.