Dubai closes first quarter with record 4.7 million international overnight visitors

DUBAI. KAZINFORM Dubai's tourism sector rallied strongly, steadily picking up pace through the first three months of 2018 in light of growing currency pressures as it continued to retain and grow share across global markets. 

Welcoming 4.7 million international overnight tourists from January-March 2018, the emirate posted a stable 2 per cent increase in traffic versus the same period last year, as reported by Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), WAM reports.

Leading source markets continued to highlight their affinity for Dubai as the top three retained their positions versus 2017. Recording an impressive 7 per cent year-on-year increase to deliver 617,000 visitors, India helped level out the relatively stable second-placed KSA (-1%) and the steeper decline in visitation from third-placed UK (-8%). Russia ended the quarter in fourth place, continuing its upward trajectory by topping the growth charts with a stellar 106 per cent increase over Q1 2017, delivering 259,000 tourists, benefiting from availability of visa-on-arrival facilities for Russian citizens from early last year. Similarly, fifth-placed China also continued to leverage its visa-on-arrival status, delivering 258,000 Chinese visitors, up a strong 12 per cent.