DUBAI — Sport contributes $1.08 billion to Dubai's economy per annum, a report by consultants Deloitte revealed on Thursday. Golf is the biggest contributor, providing $270 million -- or 25 percent -- of the emirate's total sports revenue in the 12 months to Sept. 1, 2015, Nick Tarratt, director of European Tour International - Dubai, told a news conference. These figures included indirect earnings such as from hotel stays and airline tickets, the report said. Golf's direct contribution was $131 million over the same time period, the report revealed. Of this, tournaments such as the $8 million DP World Tour Championship -- the European Tour's season finale, which began on Thursday -- and February's Desert Classic provided $80 million. Dubai is home to 11 golf courses and these generated $11 million per annum, international visitors accounted for $38 million and others $2 million. The report did not provide comparative figures for the prior year and Tarratt declined to give a forecast for the following 12 months. The report also did not give revenue figures for other sports. The emirate's other sporting events include the Dubai World Cup -- the world's richest horse race -- and the $5 million Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. — Reuters
