By Matt Smith

DUBAI (Reuters) – Sport contributes about $1.1 billion annually in direct expenditure to Dubai’s economy, a report by consultants Deloitte revealed on Thursday.

A further $627 million is generated by so-called “induced and indirect” economic activities, such as through spending in the emirate by employees in the sports sector, Deloitte said.

Golf is the biggest contributor among the various sports that Dubai hosts, generating $270 million in the 12 months to Sept. 1, 2015, Nick Tarratt, director of European Tour International – Dubai, told a news conference.

These figures include indirect earnings such as from hotel stays and airline tickets, Tarratt 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.

(Editing by John O’Brien and Toby Davis)