Abu Dhabi and Dubai See Big Growth in Real Estate, Tourism, and Airports in 2024

Abu Dhabi and Dubai have experienced significant growth in their real estate, tourism, and transportation sectors in 2024.

Real Estate in Abu Dhabi

The number of residential real estate sales transactions in Abu Dhabi from January to April 2024 increased by 7.7% compared to the same period last year. This growth was mainly driven by a 24.9% increase in the sales of ready units, while off-plan sales saw a slight rise of 0.8%.

Tourism in Dubai

Dubai maintained its status as a top international tourism hub in Q1 2024. The emirate’s hotel occupancy rates remained steady at 83%, with an average stay of 3.9 nights per visitor. There was an 11% increase in tourist arrivals, with 5.2 million international overnight visitors, up from 4.7 million in the same period last year.

Transportation Hubs

Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi welcomed over 6.8 million passengers in Q1 2024, marking a 36% increase from the previous year. Dubai International Airport had its busiest quarter ever, with 23 million travelers, an 8.4% rise from the same period last year.

Future Expansion

Dubai approved a massive AED128 billion project to expand Al Maktoum International Airport. This expansion will make it the largest airport in the world by size and capacity, capable of handling up to 260 million passengers annually.