Dubai reported a record number of tourist arrivals in the first half of the year, topping levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and helping push hotel room rates to a fresh high.

The city reported 8.55 million international overnight visitors, up 20% from the first half of last year and more than the 8.36 million tourists who visited during the same period in 2019. Average daily hotel rates came in at 534 dirhams ($145.40), up by a fifth from 2019 levels.

The emirate’s deft handling of the pandemic, coupled with a series of reforms aimed at attracting visitors, helped it maintain its edge as the region’s top tourism, business and trade hub. At the start of the year, Dubai’s government reduced tax on alcohol, leaving the city better-positioned to cater to wider swathes of the market.

Tourists from Western Europe accounted for about a fifth of international visitors, with Russia, former Soviet states and Eastern Europe contributing 14%.

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