4. Dubai

Less than 60 years ago, Dubai was a fishing village. Today, the emirate has a population of more than 3 million. And last year, their numbers were boosted by 15.93 million visitors.

Famed as a centre for shopping and as a destination for conferences and exhibitions, when it comes to how much money visitors spend in their chosen destination, Dubai dominates. In 2018, visitors spent a whopping $30.82 billion.