In 2012, international tourists spent US $ 4.7 billion in the UAE, which is 17.1% more than a year earlier. We are talking about purchases paid with VISA plastic cards. At the same time, according to the Tourism Outlook UAE report provided by the payment system of the same name, the total number of transactions is growing by 20% annually.
It should be noted that one of the leaders in the ranking was the Russians, who over the past period spent in the UAE US $ 4.7 million, or 29.8% more than in 2011. In the overall ranking, our compatriots took second place, second only to residents of the United Kingdom (the latter spent US $ 540.4 million). The third on the list are residents of Saudi Arabia (US $ 420.4 million).
January was the most “expensive” month, which can be connected with the traditional winter holidays, primarily in Russia and with the Dubai Trade Festival, during which the number of tourists increases significantly. Another peak of purchases occurred in November and December.
According to VISA, US $ 1.4 billion was spent on purchases in retail stores (25.2% more than in 2011), and, for example, US $ 75.3 million was spent on food in restaurants (plus 27.6% compared to 2011), and another US $ 15.1 million for purchases in fast food cafes (an increase of 122% compared to 2011)
