News

Dubai reports 11% rise in UK visitors

Image via Shutterstock

The number of UK visitors to Dubai rose by 11% last year to almost 1.2 million.

Beyond the UK, western Europe remained the second highest regional contributor to visitor numbers, generating nearly three million tourists, reflecting a 6% growth in numbers.

This helped Dubai maintain its position as the fourth most visited city in the world, attracting more than 14.2 million overnight visitors in 2015, up 7.5% over 2014.

Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing chief executive, Issam Kazim, said: “The travel agent community has also been a key part of the UK market success.

“The industry has been particularly supportive of Dubai and we continue to invest in strengthening our relationship with them through training, incentives and fam trips.

“We are rolling out a new online training programme this year and will be taking hundreds of agents out to Dubai to experience it for themselves.”

He added: “Dubai is well-known as a destination with excellent five-star hotels and this year we’ve seen particular strength in this area as UK visitor stays in these hotels rose 24%.

“Given that more visitors from the UK than ever took advantage of the summer deals on offer across the city we believe this growth can be further attributed to people looking to enjoy five-star luxury at more affordable prices.

“We have also made strong efforts to diversify and increase the number of midmarket hotels while at the same time ensuring Dubai maintains its reputation as one of the world’s leading destinations for luxury.

“Hotel apartments now make up more than a quarter of total inventory, while hotels that are four-star or less account for nearly half.”

Share article

View Comments

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.