EXPO 2020 DUBAI VISITS EXCEED 6.3 MILLION

THE NUMBER OF VISITS to Expo 2020 Dubai crossed 6.35 million in the period up to December 13, 2021, following the mega event’s opening on October 1.

Visitor numbers were boosted by music concerts, sporting events and National Day celebrations, an Expo statement said.

Popular programmes included a concert by Alicia Keys at the Al Wasl Plaza on December 10, where she also unveiled her new release,

Keys; a performance by Indian singer Neha Kakkar on December 12; and another by popular Filipino artists Sponge Cola and Matthaios, as well as the Expo World Choir, which featured singers and musicians from 142 nationalities.

Expo hosted 10,461 events in its first two months with more than a quarter (28 per cent) of November visitors coming from outside the UAE. Top international visitor countries included India, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the UK.

The event has given Dubai arrivals figures a boost, with the latest data from Dubai Tourism revealing the destination received 4.88 million visitors between January and October 2021.

The top five source markets for the 10-month period were India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and USA respectively.

Visitors stayed 4.6 nights on average, up from 4.1 in 2020.