You clicked on this article thinking it was the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world – didn’t you? Well, take that Burj Khalifa metro footbridge (the endless one that takes forever to cross) and walk over to the Dubai Mall – you’ve arrived at the destination that is the most visited place on earth in 2023.
The world’s largest mall now also has the distinction of being the most-visited location on our planet. A total 105 million people visited the famous shopping mall last year, according to a statement released yesterday by Emaar Properties, the developers of Dubai Mall. Dropping ‘The’ before its name hasn’t impacted this tourist attraction’s footfall – these figures show a 19% increase from 2022’s 88 million visitors.
Dubai Mall – most visited place on earth
As per the numbers shared by Emaar, 2024 is also on track to be a record year. The mall has already clocked a whopping 20 million visitors in just the first two months 2024. The stats and data also show the mall has attracted people from every corner of the world and its visitors belong to a variety of nationalities. So what makes Dubai Mall such a big attraction?
Dubai Mall’s high-end luxury stores such as Cartier and Fendi, world-class dining destinations such as the Armani Cafe, and unique leisure and entertainment options from an indoor aquarium and ice rink to a VR Park have always been crowd-pullers.
However, a few additional reasons drove people to visit the mall in 2023 and 2024. Special events and promotions celebrating local and international festivals such as the Dubai Shopping Festival, the Dubai Food Festival and the 3 Day Super Sale drew shoppers to this leisure and entertainment destination like flies to honey.
The mall’s social media accounts reflect its skyrocketing fame – with 1.3 million Instagram followers, this massive building complex is an influencer in its own right! We’ll have to wait and watch if the mall’s popularity and local crowds remain once paid parking via Salik toll gates is introduced later this year.