During COVID, who would have thought that tourism would bounce back the way it did?
In a study done, 35% of the respondents said that travel has become more important to them after the COVID pandemic. I think people realized that life as we know it would end in a split instant. And because of that, people want to have a full experience of life.
International tourism is set to surpass pre pandemic levels by the end of 2024.
But before we look at the destination of choice for most people in 2025, let’s have a look at some of the most visited places in 2023 and 2024.
Most visited destination in 2023
- Istanbul: 20.2 million arrivals
- London: 18.8 million arrivals
- Dubai: 16.8 million arrivals
- Antalya: 16.5 million arrivals
- Paris: 15.5 million arrivals
- Hong Kong: 14.7 million arrivals
- Bangkok: 12.2 million arrivals
- New York: 11.7 million arrivals
- Cancún: 10.8 million arrivals
- Mecca: 10.8 million arrivals
Most visited destination in 2024 – Predictive
- Istanbul
- London
- Paris
- Dubai
- Antalya
- Hong Kong
- Bangkok
- New York
- Cancún
- Tokyo
So, now that we have looked at some of the most visited cities in 2023 and 2024, you are probably wondering what is the city to look out for in 2025.
Well, the city that will top the tourism charts is Dubai.
This is not a surprise, at least not to many.
Dubai has invested billions of dollars in the last couple of years improving transport infrastructure, building new hotels, theme parks, creating ads and so much more.
Related: Global Village Theme Park in Dubai
Dubai is targeting to attract about 25 million visitors by the end of 2025. But I do not think they will stop there. Duabi’s government has big plans for the future, hence its investment in moving the entire flight operations from the famous Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Al Maktoum International Airport, in Jebel Ali by around 2050.
The new airport will about 5 times the size of DXB and handle approximately 260 million passengers annually.
Related: King Salman International Airport – The World’s Biggest in the Making
That is not all. Dubai is also embarking on a mega $408 million expansion project of The Dubai Mall. This will see the mall add an additional 240 luxury stores and restaurants. Works have already begun as we wait for an official date for the completion of the project.
There you have it. Are you going to be one of the 25 million tourists visiting Dubai?
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