UAE enjoying strong tourism recovery: report
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New research from Visa has signalled an impressive return to form across the breadth of the UAE tourism industry, with evidence of a 3% year on year increase in arrivals to the Emirates in 2010 and over $3bn spent compared to 2009.Visa’s ‘Tourism Outlook: UAE’ report, based on tourism receipts from across the UAE in 2009 and 2010, provides a valuable insight into the spending habits of international visitors on their Visa debit and credit cards. In addition to highlighting positive growth, the data also shows that as payment card acceptance continues to grow in the UAE, so too does the level of spending, with international Visa cardholders spending a massive $3.1bn in a total of 12.8 million transactions in 2010 – a 20.3 and 21.7% increase respectively on the previous year. Of the total spend on Visa cards by international visitors, $1.9bn came from just 10 markets, with the British being the top spenders by far, contributing over $441.2m towards the UAE economy on their Visa cards – almost 10% more than in the previous year. They are followed by American and Russian visitors ($302.9 and $238.1m respectively).The green shoots of revival come after Dubai reaffirmed its position as a global transportation hub in 2010, with Dubai International Airport seeing 46.3 million passengers pass through its terminals last year (+15.5% from 2009), resulting in it ranking fourth globally, according to Airports Council International. Visa’s data shows just how much the swell in visitor numbers has positively impacted on tourism, especially during November and December, when the temperate climate and end of year holidays make it the most popular time to travel to the UAE. In fact, the last two months of the year account for over a fifth of the total annual international spend on Visa cards (21.8%).Merchants across the UAE are enjoying a much welcome boost, with department stores in particular reaping the benefits of increased international spending. They enjoyed an impressive 48.8% increase in tourism receipts, thanks in a large part to travellers from Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UK.Kamran Siddiqi, GM, Visa Middle East, said, “We’re seeing a really positive sign that things are on the up and, with the country expected to see some of the world’s strongest inbound tourism growth over the next five years , the travel and tourism industry is set to enjoy a further cash boost from international visitors.”
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