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According to the recent Visa's latest "Tourism Outlook: The UAE is ranked No.1 in the Middle East for having the most advanced travel and tourism sector. The study stated that in 2011, 8.2 million overseas visitors sought out the UAE as a holiday destination, although this was 8.8 per cent lower than the previous year's nine million visitors. According to VisaVue Travel Data, international Visa account holders spent $4 billion on their cards, while in the UAE a 28.7 per cent increase was indicated over 2010. It is vital to remember that despite the volatility in the Middle East due to the Arab Spring in 2011, which saw the number of tourists in the region as a whole drop by seven per cent in 2011, the UAE emerged as a safe haven in the region and continued to attract international visitors. Dubai International Airport recorded the highest air traffic movements within the UAE (312,009 in 2011), with December listed as its busiest month (28,229 air traffic movements).