India tops Dubai’s inbound tourism chart

India retained its first position as the favoured tourist market for Duabi Tourism, with more than a million Indians visiting the city of gold during the first half of 2018, which is three per cent more than that of last year.

As per statistics from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), Saudi Arabia and the UK are in second and third places respectively, while China in the fourth place.

Russia improved their position to be in the first 10, with a soaring 74 per cent increase than 2017, delivering 405,000 visitors to the country. The visa-on-arrival facility granted to the citizens of China and Russia in late 2016 and early 2017, respectively, would have positively affected the inflow of tourists form those countries.

Overall, Dubai welcomed a record 8.10 million foreign overnight tourists during the first half of 2018 and the authorities are optimistic about the second half of the year.

By 2020 and 2021, Dubai aims at reaching 25 million visitors as the emirate will host the World Expo 2020 from October 2020 until April 2021 as the first Arab metropolis.