Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the UAE's leading event venue, hosted a total of 63 consumer and entertainment events in 2016, welcoming over one million visitors, a report said.

The diverse calendar of entertainment events, ranging from theatrical performances and music festivals to consumer shows and sporting events, serves as a complement to DWTC’s solid business and trade exhibitions proposition, reported WAM, the Emirates official news agency.

Ahmed Alkhaja, senior vice president - Venues, DWTC, said: "The demand for multicultural attractions and family entertainment in the UAE has positively impacted the increase in domestic and international leisure tourism to Dubai. In addition to offering a world-renowned platform for the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or meetings, incentives, conferences, and Events, MICE, industry, DWTC continues to broaden its consumer and entertainment event offerings to include a variety of home-grown and global events to its calendar, supporting Dubai’s tourism vision and goal to increase visitor footfall."

Amongst non-trade events hosted, 18 consumer events welcomed over 300,000 visitors and 45 live events attracted over 700,000 visitors. Highlights of the year included Cirque Du Soleil, Varekai, Russell Peters show, Disney Live, Ramadan Majlis, Dubai Sports World, Modhesh World, and more.