Dubai is set for a New Year’s Eve boom with hotel booking levels well ahead of last year and some chains expecting full occupancy by December 31.
At least 71.8 per cent of rooms in the city have already been booked, according to recent data shared with The National by the CoStar Group, parent company of hotel analytics provider STR.
This contrasts with 2023 when 65.4 per cent of rooms were booked at this point, according to the data from December 9.
The trend continues into 2025 with bookings for New Year’s Day at 66.2 per cent – up from 59.4 per cent on January 1, 2024.
“Dubai occupancy on the books levels for the period between Christmas and New Year's Eve remain elevated compared to last year,” said Kostas Nikolaidis, senior account manager for the Middle East and Africa region at STR.
“On New Year's Eve in particular, 71.8 per cent of total rooms were booked - a considerable uplift of 6.4 percentage points to last year’s New Year’s Eve."
Mr Nikolaidis ascribed the increase to the fact that the celebration is now a “bucket list trip for many” with the city delivering “a show and an experience like no other”.
“These elevated levels of bookings are a strong indicator of high demand and a confirmation that Dubai remains a hugely popular destination for visitors during the festive period.”
Dubai has long been known for its lavish parties over the new year period with its fireworks, laser and drone shows, such as at Burj Khalifa and scores of other locations across the city as people ring in the new year.
This year is no different with Atlantis, The Palm, for example, promising “spectacular fireworks, exceptional dining experiences and a show-stopping performance with four-time Grammy-award winner Lionel Richie”, with tickets costing thousands of dirhams.
People wishing to stay at the luxury hotel over new year's must book a minimum of two nights, according to its website on Thursday.
Prices for hotel stays, dinners, parties with views of the fireworks vary wildly for December 31 from hundreds of dirhams to thousands. But some competitive prices can still be found in old Dubai, with hotels in Deira, for example, still available for around Dh300.
Mr Nikolaidis said it was interesting that bookings are materialising “slightly earlier” this year.
“With high demand levels guaranteed on New Year’s Eve and hotel rooms selling out fast, visitors may be prompted to book earlier so as to secure their preferred accommodation options as well as better prices,” he said.
It comes as Dubai experiences a tourism boom. Data from the emirate's Department of Economy and Tourism shows Dubai welcomed 14.96 million overnight visitors from January to October – up 8 per cent on the same period in 2023 amid a rebound in global travel demand after the Covid-19 pandemic and the emirate’s more liberal visa policies, diversified market and five-star attractions. A resumption of the crucial Chinese market has also helped.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest by international traffic, could also hit a record high of 91.9 million annual passengers on the back of the boom. Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports chief executive, said the airport was seeing more direct traffic than ever before, rather than the traditionally dominant transfers.
Hotel chains across the emirate told The National, meanwhile, they are seeing strong demand over Christmas and the new year period, with some expecting to be fully booked by the time December 31 rolls around.
“The festive and new year period looks positive with good demand to Downtown, Business Bay, Palm and Marina,” said Jan Hanak, managing director, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Egypt of the Radisson Hotel Group. “Showing growing numbers both in bookings and rate."
Mr Jan Hanak said outer locations offered “great value” for money and all these hotels were indicating a strong demand with space to offer to some last-minute travellers.
“With over 85 per cent occupancy on the books we look forward to a great festive season, with additional focus on food and beverage offerings to expats and tourists choosing Dubai for this Christmas and new year celebration.”
Rove Hotels said it currently had about 70 per cent occupancy for December 31 with properties in Downtown Dubai and Dubai Marina "slightly higher".
“Historically, we receive a significant amount of last-minute bookings as people finalise their New Year's Eve plans, so we anticipate all Rove Hotels will reach full occupancy on the night of December 31,” said Paul Bridger, chief operating officer of Rove Hotels, a chain of ten hotels in the UAE, which has rates for New Year's Eve across the chain ranging from about Dh999 to Dh2,499.
“Compared to last year, we are observing a 12 per cent increase in occupancy on the books," he said.
"This reflects the growing global interest in Dubai's renowned celebrations. Additionally, our rates are higher this year, indicating strong demand across the group.”
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