Dubai welcomed a total of 13.2 million international overnight visitors in 2014, according to latest data issued ahead of Arabian Travel Market starting today.

The Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), which issued inaugural ‘Dubai annual visitor report on Sunday, said emirate is on track on realise 20 million visitors by the start of the next decade. It recorded 8.2 per cent year-on-year growth in 2014, which is significantly higher than the global average of 4.7 per cent.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of DTCM, said the report demonstrates Dubai's broadening appeal as a tourism destination among multiple geographies and audience segments, highlighting both the success achieved to date and the opportunity for continual growth. "The 2014 success is especially promising considering pressures on a number of source market economies and the 80-day partial closure of Dubai International Airport. The results are a tribute to the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the continued resolute partnership between the government and the private sector,” Almarri said.