Dubai has once again emerged as the top choice for tourists and business travelers in 2019. The city bagged three top international awards within a week, sealing the emirate’s standing as a world class travel and business events destination.
Dubai was ranked as the Top City Destination of 2019 in Middle East and Africa region, according to strategic market research firm Euromonitor International. “Dubai continues to lead the region in terms of numbers of arrivals, despite a flat growth rate during 2018,” notes the agency.
Read: World’s Most Popular City Destinations in 2019
The city also demonstrated industry excellence at the 26th annual World Travel Awards, lifting the World’s Leading Business Travel Destination 2019 and the World’s Leading MICE Destination 2019 for the second consecutive year.
“Dubai continues to accelerate towards becoming a preferred global business and investment destination, hosting world-class strategic conferences, meetings and incentive groups as well as offering business travellers a holistic and innovative environment to connect and collaborate. The city’s most recent wins at the World Travel Awards 2019 are testament to the continued efforts in showcasing Dubai’s capabilities on the global stage, bringing to the forefront the city’s focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth while maximising its potential through a continuously evolving business-enabling ecosystem,” said Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
The recognition for Dubai comes as the emirate prepares to host a number of high profile and large-scale business events. This month Dubai will welcome the 10,000-strong Amway Asia Pacific Leadership Seminar, while next year it will also host the International Astronautical Congress, the Million Dollar Round Table Global Conference and the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research.
Read: These Are the World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2019
According to the latest rankings from the International Congress and Convention Association and Cvent, Dubai continues to consolidate its position as the number one host city for business events in the region, and Expo 2020 Dubai is set to further cement the emirate’s position as a preferred destination for business travellers and business events.
Dubai is also the only GCC destination to feature on Lonely Planets’s list of top 10 cities to visit in 2020.
“This, of course, would not have been possible without the collaboration of our valued network of stakeholders, from venues, hotels and DMCs to local associations, businesses and government departments that are contributing not only to tourism growth, but also to the development of Dubai as a knowledge hub,” says Issam Kazim.
