The significance of Dubai as one of the world’s most visited cities has been confirmed by leading bedbank Hotelbeds.
The emirate is the sixth most booked destination behind Orlando, New York, Paris, Rome and London by the group which includes the Tourico Holidays and GTA brands.
Dubai accounts for 65% of the total room nights for the group in the Middle East ahead of Abu Dhabi and Doha.
The highest proportion of travellers to Dubai are from India, followed by local United Arab Emirates residents, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
Spain, China, Germany and the US have been the strongest growth markets for Dubai in the past year.
The peak tourist season in Dubai is from October to April, with January attracting the most visitors.
Hotelbeds Group wholesale sales and sourcing director, Sam Turner, in a trading update at Arabian Travel Market, said: “Dubai has gained its tourism dominance due to its modern infrastructure and premium lodging landscape.
“According to the latest Euromonitor report, Dubai is the sixth most visited city on earth, surpassing even Paris, New York and Tokyo – truly remarkable for a city that few were visiting even only ten years ago.
“It appears that growth in markets such as China and India is boosting Dubai’s visitor numbers, but the city also has plenty of plans to drive domestic tourism and the family holiday segment. The expansion of mid-market lodging options together with Dubai Expo 2020 will encourage tourism growth as well.”
He added: “As part of our continued commitment to growth in the region, we have increased our local presence in Dubai. We have operated there since 1998 and last year we opened another office in the city.
“Altogether, we have over 120 employees in Dubai including sourcing, sales, finance and operations teams, all of them focused on both inbound and outbound business for the region.”
The update came as Dubai Tourism released an all-inclusive pre-paid card, providing access to 33 key events and venues across Dubai for a lead-in of £77, rising to £175.
Dubai Pass will be available for tourist to redeem from May 16 with ‘Select’ and ‘Unlimited’ packages.
Attractions include Burj Khalifa, Dubai Parks and Resorts, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Wild Wadi Waterpark, Ski Dubai, Desert Safari Tours.
Visitors will also receive half price tickets to La Perle – the city’s acrobatics and aerial stunts show.