Russian, Chinese tourists spend less in UAE; Saudis, Americans spend more

Dubai: Tourist spending in the UAE was up 5 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2014, according to a new report from Network International, a payment solutions provider.

The report, which is based on credit or debit card transactions by country, suggested that Americans accounted for the largest portion of total spending at 21 per cent in the first quarter.

They were followed by tourists from Saudi Arabia (12 per cent), the UK (9 per cent), China, (4 per cent) and Kuwait (3.4 per cent).

Spending by tourists from the US grew by 9 per cent, Saudi Arabia by 25 per cent and Canada by 53 per cent since the previous year.

However, spending by Russians fell 52 per cent due to the weak rouble and 7 per cent by Chinese in the first quarter.