RIYADH: Dubai’s tourism sector achieved a significant milestone in the first half of 2023 by welcoming 8.55 million international overnight visitors, surpassing pre-pandemic levels of 8.36 million recorded in the first half of 2019. This represents the city’s strongest first-half performance in its history, the Emirates News Agency, also known as WAM, reported citing data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. The city achieved a 20 percent year-on-year growth in terms of visitors in the first half of 2023. This further consolidates the emirate’s aspiration, under the Dubai Economic Agenda 2033, to rank among the world’s top three cities. The agenda has outlined a new trajectory for the city to further consolidate its status as one of the world’s top urban economies and tourism destinations. In addition, it reaffirms the emirate’s position as the fastest-recovering destination globally. The record performance in the first half of the year also surpasses the UN World Trade Organization’s global projection of 80 to 95 percent recovery to pre-pandemic levels for international tourist arrivals in 2023. “The remarkable surge in international visitors witnessed by Dubai in the first half of 2023 further demonstrates its emergence as one of the brightest spots not only in the worldwide tourism sector but also the broader global economic landscape,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council. He added: “While the growth of international visitation reinforces Dubai’s rise as a major global tourism destination, it also signifies its status as a pivotal hub for trade, investment, and enterprise.” During the first half of 2023, Western Europe emerged as a significant contributor to Dubai’s tourism sector, accounting for 20 percent of total international tourists. Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Middle East and North Africa regions jointly represented 28 percent of the regional tourism influx. South Asia made up 17 percent of the overall visitors to Dubai, followed by Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Eastern Europe with a collective 14 percent. Additionally, North Asia and Southeast Asia together added 8 percent, while contributions from the Americas stood at 7 percent. Africa and Australasia chipped in with 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively. GDP growth Dubai’s gross domestic product also grew 2.8 percent year on year to reach 111.3 billion dirhams ($30 billion). The wholesale and retail trade sectors were the largest contributors to the growth accounting for 22.9 percent of the GDP.