Dubai Parks and Resorts has reported a rise of 22 per cent in visitors to its attractions in 2018 compared to the previous year, registering almost 2.8 million visits to its Motiongate, Bollywood and Legoland theme parks, as well as its Legoland waterpark, two hotels and its themed retail and dining destination.

Operator DXB Entertainments said that a number of factors boosted its Q4 numbers, including winter seasonality, Halloween and the UAE’s 47th anniversary. The priority for DXB remains increasing international footfall, according to chief executive officer Mohamed Almulla.

"We saw a 22 per cent increase in visits with 40 per cent of overall footfall from international tourists, demonstrating that our strategic partnerships with Emirates Airlines, RTA and Dubai Airport, as well as China’s Union Pay, are showing good results," he said.

"Looking ahead to 2019, our priority is to continue increasing footfall from international tourists, which is a key growth driver for the destination, while also maintaining the solid base of local and regional visitors."

The company’s statement gave further detail on visitor numbers at its Lapita Hotel in Dubai, which had an average occupancy of 60 per cent in 2018, compared to 35 per cent in 2017. Its occupancy reached close to 100 per cent on certain days in December 2018.

Plans are still afoot to open the new Six Flags theme park, where construction began in 2016, this year. In November 2018 DXB Entertainments said that a strategic review was to determine the scope, timeline and potential alternatives to the plan, in the light of customer demand.