14.2 million visitors to Dubai in 2015

Facilities provided to the tourism sector in the recent years had raised Dubai’s hotel capacity from 15,000 rooms to more than 100,000 rooms, and tourist arrivals to more than 14.2 million in 2015, revealed Dubai Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on a recent visit to DTCM. He was there to monitor the progress in keeping with the Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Vision 2020. “Sheikh Mohammed’s directives to property developers to develop family leisure destinations will enable us to welcome an additional five million holidaymakers,” he added. Moreover, His Highness’s directives to grant Chinese tourists visas on arrival would bring about a paradigm shift in the sector, Sheikh Hamdan noted. “We are planning to establish Dubai as the first destination for tourists from Asia,” he continued. Sheikh Hamdan directed the team in the presence of Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), to adopt an indirect marketing strategy.
Dubai welcomed 14.2 million visitors in 2015, a rise of 7.5 per cent from 2014, according to the DTCM. The growth in visitor numbers is double the United Nations World Travel Organisation’s (UNWTO) projected 3-4 per cent global travel growth for the same period.India has become Dubai’s top tourist source for the first time, with more than 1.6 million visitors in 2015. Saudi Arabia followed with 1.54 million visitors.