Dubai beats NY City, KL, as most visited city in the world

190927 dubai tourists — Image Credit: Atiq Ur Rehman/GN Archives

Dubai: The UAE has once again clinched the title of hosting one of the top 10 destinations in the world to visit.

In its latest publication, Euromonitor International unveiled the Top 100 City Destinations Ranking for 2019, and named Dubai as the first Middle East city and the seventh most visited city in the world, beating New York City, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul and Delhi.

Dubai is the only Middle Eastern city in the top ten with more than 16 million visitors projected for 2019, jumping up from 15.9 m in 2018.

Euromonitor International map of most visited cities from 2018-2019. Image Credit: Supplied

Euromonitor International’s city arrivals research covered over 400 cities. The report highlights the top 100 cities based on 2018 international arrivals.

“Dubai continues to lead the region in terms of numbers of arrivals, despite a flat growth rate during 2018. A free transit visa for two days for Dubai and Abu Dhabi helped to sustain arrival numbers. Key cities in Saudi Arabia also posted a sluggish performance due to economic factors and revisions in its visa fees, whereas the United Arab Emirates has seen a positive impact of diversifying visitor experiences to cities beyond Dubai, notably Ras Al Khaimah,” read the report.

“There has been increased focus on enhancing tourism offerings from the Middle East and African continent, and countries are working to market natural terrains and open new locations to keep the region competitive. Leading cities with good infrastructure, such as Dubai and Riyadh, are investing in greater entertainment avenues such as theme parks, concerts, health and wellness and medical tourism.”

Hong Kong was ranked the top destination in the world with 29.2 m visitors in 2018, while Bangkok and London were placed second and third with 24.1 m and 19.2 m visitors respectively.