Understanding the に in 「私達家族の他にもたくさん家族が来ています」


In

> 私達家族の他 **に** もたくさん家族が来ています
>
> Even (も) outside of our family, many other families are coming.

  1. Why is there a に after 私達家族の他?
  2. Would the sentence still make sense if it were omitted?

My best guess at (1) is that the sentence might mean "many other familes are
coming _towards_ (に) our family"?

