A record total of 8.06 million international overnight tourists arrived in Dubai during the first six months of 2017, reflecting a stellar 10.6 percent increase over the same period last year.

Figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Tourism, confirm the foundational strength and sustained acceleration of the emirate’s tourism sector. It stayed the course of its impressive growth trajectory from January this year, underscoring the expanding appeal of Dubai as a global tourism destination.

Almost all of Dubai’s top 20 inbound visitor source markets saw positive or near stable year-on-year performances in H1 2017, with five of the top 10 delivering standout double-digit growth. India continued to top the list, for the first time crossing the 1 million mark over a six-month period with 1,051,000 visitors, up 21 percent over the same period last year.

Saudi Arabia and the UK retained their spots as the second and third largest feeder markets respectively, with the former rallying to stabilise in June, despite facing economic challenges in 2017, while the latter delivered reliable volumes backed by a solid 4 percent year-on-year growth.

The strategic impetus of recent regulatory changes granting citizens from China and Russia free visa-on-arrival access to the UAE was evident in the continued growth peaks being delivered from these markets. They topped the charts with 55 percent and 97 percent increases respectively. As a result, China delivered 413,000 visitors to end H1 2017 in fifth place, and Russia cemented its return to the top 10 with 233,000 visitors.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai Tourism, said, "We are extremely pleased that Dubai has sustained the momentum of growth we achieved in the first quarter to deliver a strong double-digit performance through H1 2017, setting the stage for continued acceleration in tourism volumes and GDP contribution this year."

"Our strategic investments, innovative destination promotion programmes, responsive federal policy reforms, and long-term global partnerships are evidently paying dividends as we ramp up efforts to increase Dubai’s accessibility, visibility and overall appeal; minimise barriers to travel, and ultimately drive both first-time and repeat visitation," he added.

Alongside the continuous expansion and enhancement of Dubai’s infrastructure and tourism proposition, and backed by the strength of industry stakeholders across government and private sectors, Dubai Tourism's goal is to ensure that the city builds on this positive trajectory, and to get closer to the Tourism Vision 2020 target of 20 million annual arrivals.

"In parallel, our focus is on creating today for global travel what the world may aspire to in 10 years, innovating, harnessing the power of data, redefining the customer journey, and amplifying the voice of the traveller, in line with the 10X Agenda set by Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to ensure that Dubai is a decade ahead of any other global city," Almarri concluded.

Source: Wam