The world’s most visited place will be even bigger: Dubai Mall

With 100 million visitors in 2023, according to Statista, France is the country with the most tourists in the world. Spain, with 85.17 million visitors in the same year, comes second, while the United States, with 66.48 million, is in third place. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), with 28.15 million visitors, is in 12th place, according to the German-based global data platform. In terms of cities, Istanbul tops the list with 20.2 million visitors in 2023, followed by London with 18.8 million visitors and Dubai in third place with 16.8 million tourists.

Well, according to information from its owner, the international property developer Emaar Properties, the Dubai Mall, with 105 million visitors in 2023, exceeds each of these countries and cities in terms of annual visits. It is therefore ‘the most visited place on earth’. In the case of the Dubai Mall it is necessary to consider, in order to weigh up the figures, that this obviously includes recurrent visits, presumably many more than in the nations and cities mentioned. Nevertheless, it is still an impressive number of visitors.

The great visitor figures, with 19% growth compared to 2022, “coupled with exceptionally strong sales“, must have led Emaar Properties to take the decision it announced just a few days ago (3 June 2024) in a press release. It announced an investment of €380 million in the expansion of the Dubai Mall. It should be noted that the two largest shareholders of Emaar Properties are Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and the Dubai Investment Corporation, a UAE public fund.

With this expansion, the Dubai Mall will add to its more than 1.10 million sqm of floor space and more than 1,200 shops and over 200 international restaurants, and to the wide range of leisure and entertainment attractions – including a gigantic aquarium and underwater zoo, a 24-screen cinema, an ice rink, entertainment centres such as KidZania and the recently opened Fashion Avenue – the new expansion will add “240 new luxury stores and food and beverage outlets”.

Emaar Properties founder Mohamed Alabbar announced the “monumental expansion” of the Dubai Mall as a further sign of the emirate’s ambition to “remain at the forefront of global innovation and culture, (…) as a top global destination“. At the same time, he thanked “our esteemed guests and loyal customers, as well as our partners, retailers and government authorities” for their support.