Dubai registered record international overnight visits totalling 15.8 million in 2017, 6.2 per cent higher than the previous year, said the Annual Visitor Report 2017 released by Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism).

 The report provides an in-depth cross-sector analysis of the emirate’s tourism performance last year, as well as an overview of future activities, campaigns and strategies as Dubai progresses towards its goal of welcoming 20 million visitors per year by 2020, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

It also analyses visitor demographics, taking a closer look at who is travelling to Dubai, from where and for what reason, as well as how they are spending their time in the city. In addition, the report reviews recent and upcoming plans, highlighting major developments across multiple sectors.

Key findings and highlights of the Annual Visitor Report 2017 include:

 - Dubai’s top 10 source markets contributed a share of 59 per cent of total tourist volumes, with the remainder made up of highly diversified markets across the globe.

- Three out of four visitors were families and couples, with individuals making up 14 per cent, friends 8 per cent, and colleagues 3 per cent of total visitation.

- 73.8 per cent of tourists travelled to Dubai for leisure purposes, with those visiting friends and relatives making up 13.9 per cent of the total, and business travellers 11.5 per cent.

- 77 per cent of visitors chose to stay in paid accommodation, as opposed to staying with friends and relatives.

- The gender mix was fairly balanced, with 47 per cent women travellers, while the party size averaged at 2.5 persons, staying in Dubai for an average of 7.6 days.

- The Dubai Mall remained the city’s most popular attraction, drawing 97 per cent of visitors, followed by The Dubai Fountain with 81 per cent, and heritage and cultural districts with 63 per cent.

- Surpassing 2016 ratings, 99.4 per cent of surveyed visitors said they were either ‘happy’ or ‘extremely happy’ with their overall Dubai experience, with a massive 69.1 per cent in the latter category.

- Similarly, an impressive 99.3 per cent of surveyed visitors indicated they would be ‘likely promoters’ or ‘active advocates’ of Dubai, recommending the destination to friends and family.

- The biggest increases in overall satisfaction levels were witnessed among travellers from Germany and France, with the biggest leaps in advocacy levels coming from German and Chinese visitors.

The report also details key successes across Dubai Tourism’s social, digital and marketing campaigns, seasonal campaigns in key markets around the world, and content partnerships with global media. Additionally, it analyses the future outlook for Dubai’s fast-evolving tourism industry, highlighting initiatives such as the emirate’s Smart City and 10X initiatives.