Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

The GCC continued to be the leading feeder region, delivering 25 percent of total visitations. Tourist numbers from Saudi Arabia grew 14 percent year-on-year to 476,000, making the Kingdom the number one source country.

Strong growth was also registered from Oman with figures rising 32 percent.

"As we turn our immediate focus to the summer, we are heavily leveraging Dubai's value offering and diversity of activities and attractions that continue to be clear visitation drivers during this period," said Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, DTCM.