From January to June, Dubai received about 59,800 visitors from Oman, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year. The figures bump the sultanate up to be the fourth largest source of visitors, making it the country to experience the highest increase in the number of visitors.
With continuous growth in India and Saudi Arabia, the two largest source markets for the Emirate, Dubai welcomed a total of 7.26 million visitors till June against 7.25 million recorded in 2015, according to Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The GCC is the largest source market of tourists (24%) followed by Western Europe (22%), South Asia (17%), MENA (11%) and North and Southeast Asia (9%).
The growing number of visitors in Dubai was a great start for the retail landscape in the country with a host of projects, initiatives and events spearheading the destination’s visitor attraction programme. For example, City Walk 2, Box Park and The Beach complex in Jumeirah Beach Residence add to Dubai’s already strong offering. Other major retail developments include the 1.9 million m2 Dragon Mart 2 extension, Outlet Village, a number of theme parks and Dubai Mall – Phase 2. Close to 400,000m2 of additional retail space is scheduled to be completed this year.
Dubai’s accommodation portfolio also saw growth with 676 establishments in operation as of March. New hotel openings such as the Palazzo Versace and The St Regis Dubai, ensure the city maintains its reputation for luxury, while a host of new mid-market hotels are expanding options available to visitors.
Source: MENAFN.com
