In terms of tourists, the report noted that the UAE leads the region and came in 24th place overall, having welcomed 10 million tourists in 2013.

The UAE is the third safest country in the world behind only Finland and Qatar, according to a report from the World Economic Forum (WEF).

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In its latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, the WEF noted that while many Middle Eastern countries were negatively impacted by global unrest, the UAE and Qatar remain unaffected.

Neighbouring Oman also made it into the top 10, in ninth place between Singapore and Portugal.

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Of the 141 countries included in the safety data, Egypt came in 136^th place, and Pakistan in 138^th.

The report noted that both Qatar and Oman have seen tourism increase.

“Conversely, the UAE benefitted from redirected demand as it was regarded as a ‘safe’ destination, occupancy for the year increased eight per cent,” the reported noted.

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In terms of tourists, the report noted that the UAE leads the region and came in 24^th place overall, having welcomed 10 million tourists in 2013.

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Additionally, the report praised the UAE for diversifying its revenue stream and not relying solely on economic derived from natural resources, and ranked the UAE as having the fourth best business environment, between Qatar and Switzerland.

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“While the UAE does not have rich natural resources (95^th), it has built a unique environment to attract both business and leisure travelers. From Expo 2020 Dubai to the construction of the Louvre and Guggenheim, the UAE is investing in and giving significant importance to the development of the T&T industry,” the report stated. “This is supported by its world-renowned air transport infrastructure (3^rd) and positioning as a gateway for Europeans to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

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It has created extremely effective branding campaigns (1^st) and an enabling business environment for the industry’s development, with strides in travel facilitation and the liberalization of its visa regime (30^th).”