Dubai – Mubasher: The emirate of Dubai has received around 11.58 million visitors during the first three quarters of 2018, according to a recent statement by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism).
India topped the list of the GCC emirate’s source market, followed by Saudi Arabia and the UK. Dubai's visitors from Russia, China, and Germany also doubled during the first nine months of 2018, compared to the prior-year period.
Russian travellers to Dubai increased by 60% year-on-year to 460,000 in the nine-month period ended 30 September due to a 19% growth in air capacity across non-stop flights, as well as ease of travel following the introduction of visa-on-arrival facilities in the last two years.
Moreover, the emirate’s Chinese visitors levelled up 12% to 641,000 in the previous nine months, compared to 573,000 in the same period of the prior year.
As for overnight visitors, Western European visitors increased by 29%, while GCC tourists rose 19% from January to September.
“With 11.58 million tourists to date this year, we have maintained our position as the fourth most visited city in the world according to the 2018 MasterCard Global Cities Index, and will continue to work towards delivering stability throughout Q4 despite wider macroeconomic challenges.” Helal Almarri, director general of Dubai Tourism, said.
The growth in tourism has led to an increase in hospitality offerings, with 706 establishments offering a total of 112,381 available rooms in Dubai as of September, while the average occupancy for the hotel sector stood at 75%, with establishments delivering a combined 21.89 million occupied room nights during the first nine months of 2018.
