Skift Take
Dubai Airport has surpassed pre-pandemic levels during the initial half of 2023. However, its projection for the entire year still falls slightly short of 2019 numbers. Call it "cautious optimism."
Middle East Travel Roundup
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Dubai International Airport announced on Tuesday that it served 41.6 million passengers in the first half of this year, exceeding figures for the same period in 2019.
The announcement follows news of Dubai surpassing its pre-pandemic tourism numbers for the first half of 2023, earlier this month.
The airport handled a total of 201,800 flights in the first half, up 13% compared to the same period in 2019. The average number of guests per flight during the first half reached 214 while the load factor was 77%.
Readjusted Forecast: The airport has also readjusted its forecast for the year from 83.6 million guests to 85 million, just 1.6% shy of its annual traffic in 2019.
Source: Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism LinkedInWhere Are the Passengers Coming From?
India (6 million passengers) Saudi Arabia (3.1 million guests) UK (2.8 million) Pakistan (2 million) U.S. (1.8 million) Russia (1.3 million) Germany (1.2 million).Top City Destinations
London (1.7 million) Mumbai (1.2 million) Riyadh (1.2 million)No Signs of Slowdown: “We started the second half with strong demand in July, and with the ongoing seasonal peak coinciding with the reopening of schools in August, we’re preparing for an exceptionally busy rest of the year,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
Visits Saudi Partners with Spanish Football LeagueVisit Saudi has joined forces with Spanish football league Laliga with the shared objective of showcasing Saudi Arabia as a year-round destination.
What Does the Partnership Entail? Visit Saudi will be the official travel destination and a global sponsor of Laliga. The collaboration aims to bolster Visit Saudi's efforts to spotlight Saudi Arabia as a fast-growing destination. The underlying aim is to stimulate football-oriented tourism.
Activities for Brand Promotion: A prominent launch event and subsequent engagements, including sponsorships, premium digital content, and immersive consumer events, all aimed at maximizing audience engagement.
Why Laliga? Laliga games is followed by millions of football fans across the kingdom, Saudi football players have played in Spain as well as Spanish players in the Saudi league, and Sau