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EMIRATE BEATS NEW YORK, ISTANBUL

Dubai ranked 5th most popular destination in the world

Dubai, July 9, 2014

Dubai has been ranked fifth among the top destinations for international travellers this year, advancing from its raking of ninth in 2011, eighth in 2012 and seventh last year, a report said.

Dubai is expected to receive almost 12 million international visitors in 2014, an increase of 7.5 per cent since 2013, added the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, released today (July 9).

This has helped boost the position of the Emirate ahead of New York and Istanbul – both of which ranked higher than Dubai last year.

According to the Index, if current growth rates of Dubai, Paris and Singapore continue, Dubai is expected to overtake the other two cities within five years and secure its position as one of the top three global destinations.

“We continue to see strong demand and interest in air travel, both for business and personal travel. Since 2009, cross-border air travel and associated spending has been growing faster than real world GDP,” said Dr Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, global economic advisor to MasterCard.

“This continued growth of travel across borders reflects a continued interest and desire for new cultural experiences from all geographies, including consumers from emerging markets who now have the financial ability to pursue these opportunities.”

Dubai also emerged as the top city in terms of international overnight visitors per resident (12 million in 2014) as well as the city that generates more international overnight visitor expenditure per resident than any other city ($3,863). It was also ranked as the fourth air hub in the world by international connectivity, representing a growth of 44.6 per cent in the last 5 years. Dubai is the only city from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to on the top ten air hubs list.

“This year’s rankings reflect just how interconnected and global of an economy we live in today,” said Raghu Malhotra, division president, Mena, MasterCard.

“It’s through the inclusive nature of an increasingly digital world that consumers can maximize all of the opportunities available to them.  As more consumers have access to safe and secure payment regardless of where they are, additional resources will become available to them.”

“Dubai’s rapid and sustained ascent in the Global Destination Cities Index reflects the Emirate’s growing international stature as a preferred business and leisure destination. Its world-class infrastructure, strategic global location, investment-friendly economy and cosmopolitan nature will continue to play a significant role in driving visitor growth,” Malhotra added.

Other notable findings include:

•    The top five origin cities for Dubai are London, Riyadh, Kuwait, Jeddah and Paris.

•    International visitors from outside of the region are becoming more important for Dubai, currently accounting for 62 per cent of total arrivals.

•    In the MEA, Dubai continues to retain its top rank for international overnight visitors. Other top cities in the region include Riyadh (5.6 million), Johannesburg (4.3 million), Abu Dhabi (2.1 million) and Cape Town (1.6 million).

•    At 14.2 per cent, Abu Dhabi continues to register the strongest visitor growth rate in the MEA region. The UAE’s capital also ranked fifth in for international overnight visitor spend.

Now in its fourth year, the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index provides an overview and ranking of the 132 of the most important global cities. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Dubai | destination | MasterCard Index |

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