Dubai is the region’s top-ranked destination city, while Abu Dhabi was the fastest-growing in the Middle East.
Dubai: The city of Dubai has been ranked in the top five destinations for international overnight visitor arrivals for 2016, according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released recently.
Bangkok took the top spot, with an expected 21.47 million visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London.
“The way people travel and spend across borders indicates just how interconnected and important the world’s cities are,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, Mastercard.
“As the planning and experience of the trip become increasingly important, Mastercard is bringing all these pieces together seamlessly through innovation and connections.”
The Index also reported that the biggest surprise this year was Dubai’s jump to the top rank based on international visitor spending of US$31.3 billion (Dh115 billion), far exceeding the second ranked London estimated at US$19.8 billion (Dh73 billion).
The Index provides more than a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world.
It also provided an insight into top destination cities in each region, including the Middle East and Africa.
While Dubai, which welcomed 1 million visitors from Saudi Arabia alone in 2015, was the top ranked destination city in the region, Abu Dhabi was reported as the fastest-growing in the region with a growth rate of 81 percent.
FONTE: GULF NEWS TOURISM