Dubai is undoubtedly one of the most visited cities in the world. In 2017, the city received 15.8 million overnight visitors. According to Euromonitor International, a UK-based market research firm, Dubai was in the top ten in their 2018 report of the top 100 City Destinations. Dubai was ahead of other major cities like New York, Shenzhen, etc. This is the only city in the Middle East to feature in the report.
The latest edition of the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index report indicates that the average length of stay of visitors is 3.5 nights with average spending of $537 in a day. This places Dubai among the top cities in terms of visitors spending. It is above some of the major cities like Paris where the average visitor spending per day stood at $301.
Dubai is the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, Dubai is also among the top ten cities in the world experiencing significant growth in international arrivals. These are some of the reasons why the number of visitors keeps increasing.
New attractions and experiences have also contributed to the immense increase in the number of tourists. Every now and then, there are new projects being launched. In fact, Dubai is experiencing so much infrastructural growth that it hosts fifteen to twenty-five percent of the world’s tower cranes. For instance, Emaar Properties, one of the major developers in the city, is launching new projects at a very fast rate. One of the major projects are Emaar Beachfront apartments and properties at the Dubai Creek Harbour.
In the first half of 2018, the city experienced a nearly flat year-on-year growth of 8.1 million tourists. Also, there was a sharp increase in visitors from China and Russia due to the relaxation of the visa requirements. In particular, the government has set the Dubai Lands Department (DED) offices in China to attract Chinese investors. Furthermore, the government is implementing some measures to boost tourism and increase the number of visitors arriving in the city. One of the major plans is to grant a visit visa to transit passengers.
Even though Bangkok was the most visited city in 2018, the average daily spend by a tourist was $173. Other cities like London and New York recorded an average spend of $153 and $147 respectively. This is an indication that Dubai is becoming the most preferred tourist destination in the world.