The Dubai tourism authorities said on Wednesday that the Chinese tourists to Dubai increased 41 percent to 764,000 in 2017 after the visa-on-arrival policy for the Chinese was implemented in late 2016.

 

Dubai attracted a total of 15.79 million international overnight visitors in 2017, posting a 6.2-percent increase compared to the 5-percent growth in 2016, the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said in an e-mailed press release.

 

"As the destination offering continues to evolve, maintaining momentum will be crucial as we look to remain on track to achieve our Tourism Vision 2020 goals," said DTCM Director General Helal Saeed Almarri.

 

Meanwhile, Dubai aims to attract between 20 million to 25 million visitors during the six-month world expo which will run from October 2020 until April 2021.

 

Most hotels and shopping malls in Dubai are ready to juice up their activities during the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year.

 

Sharjah, another emirate near Dubai, is also attractive for Chinese during the upcoming holiday. Sharjah has consistently been selected as one of the UAE’s most prominent cultural hubs and a bastion of civilization by regional and international institutions. The emirate has also been named The Culture Capital of the Arab World (UNESCO); Islamic Culture Capital 2014; the Capital of Arab Tourism; and the Capital of the Arab Press. These achievements have strengthened its presence in the regional and global tourism industries.