Tourists to Dubai spend more than in any other global city

Visitors to Dubai spend more than in any other city in the world – $537 (Dh1,972) a day on average – according to a global study that places the spotlight on the continuing appeal of the emirate.

The city was ranked ahead of Paris, New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore in a measure of total overnight spend by Mastercard. That includes the cost of staying in a hotel.

Mastercard said visitors shelled out $29.7 billion in total marking a major boost to the local economy.

Issam Kazim, chief executive of Dubai Tourism, said new attractions and experiences, such as the Dubai Parks and Resorts theme parks, contributed to the city’s success.

Dubai welcomed 8.1 million tourists in the first half of 2018. Year-on-year growth was almost flat but within those figures the number of visitors from China and Russia rose sharply owing to a relaxation in visa requirements for residents of those two countries.

Visitors to Paris on average spent $301 a day followed by Singapore at $286. Of the most visited cities, Istanbul had the lowest spend per day at just $108 on average.

In Mastercard’s index, Bangkok was the most visited city in the world with 20.05m visitors last year with an average daily spend of $173. London was second with 19.83m visitors and Paris third with 17.44m visitors.