Dubai welcomes nearly 5 million tourists in Q1

Dubai continues to see a rise in international visitor numbers, with 4.75 million people visiting the emirate in just the first three months of this year.

That's an increase of 2.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2018, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism).

India remained the biggest source market, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UK and China.

Oman followed in fifth place, emerging as the fastest growing source country with a 27 per cent rise in visitor numbers.

Russia, Germany, the US, Pakistan and France rounded off the top 10 source markets.

Meanwhile, the average occupancy rate in Dubai's hotels was 84 per cent during the first quarter, with tourists staying for 3.5 nights on average.