Dubai once again found a place among the most popular tourists destinations in the world. Moreover, the city was voted as the top destination in the Middle East and Africa region.
According to the Global Destination Cities Index for Q2 2013, published by MasterCard, Dubai showed one of the strongest growth rates in 2013. The city, along Bangkok and Istanbul, has greatly increased its number of arrivals over the past few months. Dubai reported an arrivals growth of the amazing 10.9%. Major regional airlines such as Emirates Airline, Etihad and Qatar Airways along international carriers such as Lufthansa contribute to this rapid growt. In addition, its international overnight visitors rate is estimated at 9.89 million. Booking hotels became easier in recent years thanks to online booking services such as Expedia.com and Booking.com.
Also, the amount of international overnight visitor spend in Dubai has reached $10.4 billion. This is higher than most of the cities on the list, including places like Los Angeles ($7.8 billion), Istanbul ($8.6 billion) and Barcelona ($8.9 billion).
Apart from being among the most popular tourists destinations in the world, Dubai is also announced as the top destination in the Middle East and Africa. According to the report, it is really “striking” that Dubai is so “far ahead… from the rest” in the region. When comparing the city with Riyadh, the second destination on the list for the area, Dubai has an international overnight visitor spend rate that is higher with $7 billion and an international overnight visitor rate which is higher with nearly 5 million.
One of the factors that have influenced this rapid growth is the improved air travel connectivity of the city. Over the period 2009-2013 Dubai’s increase in the index value of air travel connectivity was equal to 13.3. That is lower only than Istanbul’s rate.
Abu Dhabi is not seen on the global ranking, but it is included in the one of the Middle East and Africa. The report states that UAE’s capital shows a stable growth. In addition, it predicts that if the city continues to develop with the same speed, it will surpass destinations like Johannesburg and Lagos over the next three or four years.
Here are the complete lists of the top 10 global destination cities in 2013 and the top 10 destination cities in the Middle East and Africa:
Top 10 Global Destination Cities in 2013
- Bangkok
- London
- Paris
- Singapore
- New York
- Istanbul
- Dubai
- Kuala Lumpur
- Hong Kong
- Barcelona
Top 10 Destination Cities in the Middle East and Africa in 2013
- Dubai
- Riyadh
- Johannesburg
- Amman
- Lagos
- Cairo
- Abu Dhabi
- Tunis
- Casablanca
- Tel Aviv
