Dubai remains the fourth most visited city in the world for the fifth year in a row, according to the annual MasterCard Index of Destinations for 2019, with the emirate receiving 15.93 million visitors who spent at least one night last year, while Abu Dhabi Ranked as the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa in terms of visitors who spend at least one night, with a CAGR of 16.7% between 2009 and 2018.
Girish Nanda, General Manager of MasterCard in the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman, said: “Dubai has reaffirmed its position as a leading global travel and tourism destination, maintaining its fourth position among the world's most attractive destinations for international travelers, according to the MasterCard Cities Index. Global Destination. "Dubai is the most attractive destination for international business or leisure travelers in the Middle East and Africa region, given the variety of options and offers that exceed their expectations," he said in a statement.
“As the official payment technology partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, we look forward to providing invaluable experiences to all visitors from around the world, with Dubai hosting the region's largest ever event.”
Sanjeev Khosla, Chief Commercial Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Dubai continues to position itself as an attractive global destination for business and leisure travelers, as evidenced by its fourth place in the list of the world's most visited cities.” He added: «is expected to see a significant increase in the number of visitors next year, especially with the launch of the exhibition with the participation of 192 countries in the first event of its kind hosted by the region».
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the best cities to live in the region
Dubai and Abu Dhabi topped the list of the best cities to live in the Middle East and North Africa for the third year in a row, according to an index issued by the Economist Research Unit, according to the Dubai Government Media Office in a tweet on Twitter.
The index ranks cities in terms of stability, culture, environment, education, infrastructure and health care.
Vienna topped the list of the best cities to live in the world, scoring 99.1 points out of 100 points, 100 points in the stability sub-index, 100 points in the health care index, 96.3 points in the culture and environment index, 100 points in the education index and 100. Also point in infrastructure index.
Melbourne came second with 98.4, Sydney third with 98.1, Osaka fourth with 97.7, and Calgary of Canada fifth with 97.5.
Vancouver, Canada, finished sixth with 97.3 points, while Toronto and Japan of Japan came in seventh and eighth respectively, after achieving 97.2 points each, while Copenhagen Denmark in the ninth level with 96.8 points, and Adelaide of Australia in tenth place with 96. 6 points.
15.93 million visitors spent one night, received by Dubai in 2018.