Dubai has been at the forefront of the world’s tourism recovery, with data from Dubai Tourism showing that the city welcomed 3.7 million international overnight visitors between July 2020 and May 2021, Dubai Media Office reported on Tuesday.

It has been a year since the emirate officially reopened its borders following the restrictions used to combat COVID-19.

The emirate’s hospitality sector had an average hotel occupancy rate of 58 percent during the same period along with a 106 percent rise in domestic hotel arrivals.

Locally, the pent-up demand for staycations among UAE residents was a huge contributor.

“The new data reveals that Dubai’s tourism rebound is gathering pace despite the current challenges faced by international markets,” said the emirate’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

“The growing momentum of recovery not only reflects the fundamental strengths of Dubai’s tourism sector and the diversity of its source markets, but also the emirates’ economic resilience and agility in the face of a rapidly fluctuating global environment,” he added.

Dubai received more than 1.7 million visitors between July and December 2020, dwarfing the global numbers. Almost two million visitors entered the city during the first quarter of 2021, the data released by Dubai Tourism showed.

“The resurgence in international arrivals demonstrates our commitment to a diversified market strategy, the ability of our tourism sector to adapt and respond with agility across all our markets, the enduring appeal of our world-class diverse offerings and the trust that visitors place in Dubai as a safe destination,” Director General of Dubai Tourism, Helal Saeed al-Marri told Dubai Media Office.