Tourism

Dubai has actually maintained its position as the fourth most popular travel destination in the world and the top-ranked destination in the Middle East according to the eighth annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released recently.

Abu Dhabi - with a development rate of 19.81 percent - is the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa and the third fastest growing city worldwide. This marks the United Arab Emirates as both the most visited and fastest growing nation in the area for the second year in a row.

Bangkok topped this year's list of the world's most popular travel destinations, pushing London to second area, with Paris and New York settling the leading five.

The Index offers more than a ranking of the 132 most checked out cities around the world. It forecasts visitor volume and invest quotes for the 2016 fiscal year, while providing a deeper understanding of how individuals travel and invest worldwide. As cross-border travel and spending continue to grow at a much faster rate than the world GDP, the world's cities continue to be engines of broader financial development.

The most significant surprise in this year's Index is Dubai's dive to the top rank based on global visitor costs of US$ 31.3 billion, far going beyond the second-ranked London estimated at US$ 19.8 billion.

" The findings of the Index show that Dubai is securely entrenched at the high table of international tourist and travel," stated Eyad Al Kourdi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, UAE, Mastercard. "Tourism stays the heartbeat of Dubai's economy, and the stable rise in visitor numbers suggests how the emirate's fascinating mix of iconic destinations is proving ever more engaging to today's worldwide traveler. With marquee events such as the Expo 2020 looming on the near horizon, one can expect the awards to keep coming as Dubai wants to make more progress to its objective of becoming the world's most visited city within the next 5 years."

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai's Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: "Maintaining our position in the Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index as fourth most popular travel destination worldwide demonstrates Dubai's continuous dedication to the continued development of our tourist proposal and our efforts to keep development in visitor numbers to the emirate. Our strong partnerships between government and private sectors make sure that Dubai's track record as a should experience destination continues to own visitor development in line with our Tourism Vision for 2020."

" The emirate's top rank based upon international visitor costs highlights the city's large offering as a family destination. In addition it verifies Dubai's status as a destination that attracts repeat visits to due to its continuously progressing tourism offering, from popular shopping choices such as our incredible shopping malls to conventional gold and fabrics souqs plus brand-new and upcoming home entertainment places like IMG Worlds of Adventure and The Dubai Opera in addition to Dubai Parks and Resorts. Dubai caters to all budgets and visitors can still take a traditional abra across the creek for just AED1 as well as enjoying a wide range of open parks and beaches, he added.

According to the study, Dubai is anticipated to receive 15.27 million global visitors in 2016, a boost of 7.5 percent over 2015. Forecasted overnight visitors to the Top 10 cities include:

Bangkok 21.47 million
London 19.88 million
Paris 18.03 million visitors
Dubai 15.27 million visitors
New York 12.75 million visitors
Singapore 12.11 million visitors
Kuala Lumpur 12.02 million visitors
Istanbul 11.95 million visitors
Tokyo 11.70 million visitors
Seoul 10.20 million visitors

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