LONDON: Dubai saw a 6. 2 percent hike in visitors in 2017, surpassing the 5 percent increase year-on-year of 2016 according to the Dubai Media Office.
There were 15.79 million tourists who visited the emirate in 2017 according to the latest data from Dubai Tourism – that is less than 5 million short of the 2020 goal of 20 million visitors per year.
The numbers place Dubai as the fourth most visited destination globally. India accounted for the largest proportion of visitors, delivering 2.1 million people to the emirate, while 1.53 million Saudis and 1.27 million Britons also spent at least one night there.
The news comes just days after it was announced that Dubai International Airport had maintained its place as the world’s busiest for international passengers in 2017 – despite passenger traffic growing at its slowest pace in at least nine years.
Annual traffic increased 5.5 percent to 88.2 million passengers, compared to 83.6 million in the previous year.
Dubai Tourism Director General Helal Saeed Almarri said: “Our strong 6.2 percent growth in 2017 has allowed us to ramp up the pace towards meeting our 2020 targets… With Dubai firmly consolidating its position as the fourth most visited city globally, we remain confident that our performance, backed by the continued strength of our partnerships across government and private sector stakeholders, will enable us to successfully attain our goals of becoming the number 1 most visited city.”
The bulk of the remainder of Dubai’s visitors have also traveled from China, Russia, the USA, Germany and Iran, the report added.
Dubai’s major theme parks: IMG Worlds of Adventures and Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR) had their first full year of operations in 2017. And new attractions: Dubai Frame and Dubai Safari both were opened at the back end of the year.
Dubai sees jump in tourism figures, remains world's fourth most visited destination
Dubai sees jump in tourism figures, remains world's fourth most visited destination
Closing Bell: Saudi main index climbs to 10,485
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged up on Sunday, gaining 34.32 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 10,484.59.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR2.59 billion ($690 million), with 168 listed stocks advancing and 87 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also gained 100.37 points to close at 23,454.65.
The MSCI Tadawul Index advanced by 0.13 points to 1,377.44.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Nama Chemicals Co., whose share price increased by 9.98 percent to SR22.38.
The share price of Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. rose by 9.15 percent to SR23.85.
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. also saw its stock price climb by 8.42 percent to SR57.95.
Conversely, the share price of Canadian Medical Center Co. dropped by 6.37 percent to SR6.03.
The stock price of Kingdom Holding Co. also declined by 3.16 percent to SR8.28.
In the parallel market, Alfakhera for Mens Tailoring Co. was the top performer, with its share price advancing by 16.40 percent to SR8.80.
On the announcements front, Theeb Rent a Car Co. said it had signed a long-term vehicle leasing services contract valued at SR110.4 million with Hungerstation Co.
Under the deal, Theeb will lease 2,000 vehicles to HungerStation for a period of four years starting from 2026, according to a Tadawul statement.
The statement added that the vehicles will be delivered in batches within the first six months from the contract start date, taking into consideration global logistical circumstances and procedures beyond the control of both the agents and the company.
The contract is expected to have a positive impact on the company’s financials from the first quarter of 2026.
The share price of Theeb Rent a Car Co. declined by 0.79 percent to SR37.80.
