Khaleej Times

DUBAI RETAINS ITS CHARM

- Waheed Abbas

Dubai is renowned for global firsts and world records Girish Nanda, GM for UAE and Oman at Mastercard

Dubai has continued to be a must-visit and must-return destinatio­n Issam Kazim, CEO, DCTCM

dubai — Dubai has maintained its record of highest overnight visitor spend among the world’s top cities as well as its status of the fourth most visited city globally. This indicates that the city is maintainin­g its attraction as a tourism destinatio­n and as a result, its correlated retail and hospitalit­y sectors are also benefittin­g.

According to Mastercard’s Global Destinatio­n Cities Index 2018, Dubai received 15.79 million overnight visitors last year. With a projected growth rate of 5.5 per cent, the emirate is expected to witness another year of steady expansion in 2018. Currently, Dubai lags Bangkok, London and Paris.

The emirate has also topped the list of global cities with the highest internatio­nal overnight visitor spend for the third year in a row, with total internatio­nal tourist spend of $29.7 billion in 2017. Average tourist spend per day in Dubai was around $537, the highest in the world, followed by Makkah, London, Singapore and Bangkok. Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporatio­n for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said new attraction­s and experience­s have contribute­d to this success.

“The retail sector is also further enhancing its offering, presenting visitors with the opportunit­y to experience an ever-evolving array of shopping districts, activities and offers,” he added.

According to Mastercard, Abu Dhabi has once again been named the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.21 per cent between 2009 and 2017 in overnight visitor arrivals. The UAE’s capital city is also among the top 10 global cities that experience­d the strongest growth in internatio­nal arrivals.

Girish Nanda, general manager for UAE and Oman at Mastercard, said with its dynamic range of tourism, leisure, lifestyle, hospitalit­y and business offerings, the emirate continues to attract visitors from across the globe.

“Renowned for global firsts and world records, Dubai has never shied away from evolving, and has transforme­d itself into one of the world’s most prolific tourism and investment hubs,” said Nanda.

In the first-half of 2018, Dubai had received 8.10 million overnight visitors and it is expected to surpass last year’s tally of 15.79 million tourists.

Laurent A. Voivenel, SVP for operations and developmen­t for the Middle East, Africa and India at Swiss-Belhotel Internatio­nal, said visa on arrival for Chinese nationals, increase in air capacity by budget carriers from China and India, increased business opportunit­ies, strategic marketing tie-ups and promotiona­l activities by Dubai’s tourism department have all resulted in this massive growth.

He attributed increased tourist inflow into Dubai to heavy investment in tourism projects and investment­s in mid-market hotels which are attracting budget-conscious travellers.

Going forward, Anil Dhanak, managing director for Kanz Jewels, believes VAT refund scheme will be one of the biggest factors attracting tourists into Dubai.

“Dubai has establishe­d its name as a shopping destinatio­n of the world because of its competitiv­e prices. The refund of VAT will ensure that this competitiv­eness remains and will encourage the tourists to spend during their visit to Dubai,” he added.

Abdul Salam KP, group executive director, Malabar Group, also attributed to tourist VAT refund scheme as one of key incentives for tourists to attract to the UAE.

“The VAT refund scheme for tourist purchases coming from November will allow them to happily splurge more in shopping. Dubai, known as the City of Gold, houses a wide variety of global collection­s of jewellery in gold, diamonds, platinum and precious stones and makes the city a prime jewellery shopping destinatio­n,” he said.

 ?? KT GRAPHICS • SOURCES: MASTERCARD GLOBAL DESTINATIO­N CITIES INDEX, DUBAI TOURISM AND KT RESEARCH ??
KT GRAPHICS • SOURCES: MASTERCARD GLOBAL DESTINATIO­N CITIES INDEX, DUBAI TOURISM AND KT RESEARCH

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