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28 March 2024

Dubai ranked high among world’s Top 25 tourism hotspots for 2016

Published
By Vicky Kapur

UAE’s commercial capital Dubai has been included in the Travellers’ Choice Destinations 2016 list published by TripAdvisor, and was the only UAE destination to make it into the top 25.

Dubai figured high on TripAdvisor’s latest Travellers Choice awards coming in at No. 1 in the region and 13th in the world.

The emirate has substantially improved its ranking from last year, when it took the 24th spot on the Travellers’ Choice Destinations 2015 list.

Announced earlier this week, Travellers’ Choice awards for destinations, recognise travellers’ favourite places worldwide.

According to the online travel website, “Dubai is a cosmopolitan oasis, a futuristic cityscape that towers over the Arabian Desert. This is a city of superlatives, home to the world’s largest dancing fountain; tallest building (Burj Khalifa); only 7-star hotel (the Burj al-Arab); largest artificial islands (the Palm Islands); and largest natural flower garden (the Miracle Garden).”

The rankings take into account the quantity and quality of reviews for hotels, restaurants and attractions in destinations worldwide gathered over a year, and taking into account booking trends registered on TripAdvisor.

The Travellers’ Choice Destination award reflects the ongoing enhancement of Dubai’s destination offering and visitor experience, as well as the efforts of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) to promote the emirate around the world.

According to data released recently by Kayak, a travel booking website, Dubai was the No. 1 trending New Year’s Eve destination to ring in 2016.

Read: Welcome to Dubai: Why world wants to come to the emirate

TripAdvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards are based on reviews and opinions of millions of travellers, with the winners chosen using an algorithm that takes into account the quantity and quality of reviews as well as ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions over a 12-month period.

In its evaluation of Dubai’s travel experience, TripAdvisor noted that the to-do list while in Dubai includes: “Rent a dune buggy for a desert adventure, bargain at the open-air market, or cheer on your favourite humped hoofer at the Camel Race Track.”

Recently, Dubai Tourism was awarded ‘Best Tourist Board’ at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards in London.

2015 was another hugely successful year for Dubai, with the opening of a host of new tourist attractions and infrastructure developments, joining the established favourites mentioned by TripAdvisor.

Dubai attracted over 14.2 million overnight visitors in 2015, recording a strong 7.5 per cent increase over 2014 – double the United Nations World Travel Organisation’s (UNWTO) projected 3-4 per cent global travel growth for the same period.

The emirate has a target of 20 million visitors per year by 2020.

Abu Dhabi among Top 10 Destinations in  Middle East

UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi made its mark in the Middle East rankings, at #5 among the Top 10 destinations in the region.

“Atmospheric backstreets paint a very different picture to first impressions of Abu Dhabi. The often slick and modern capital of the UAE presents a fascinating mixture of tradition and progression,” the travel website said.

TripAdvisor added: “Tracing its rich history back to around 3000 BC, Abu Dhabi maintains a more distinctly Arabian ambiance than glitzy Dubai. Taxis are a safe, reliable way to get around sites such as The Corniche Park, the White Fort, the Heritage Village, which offers glimpses into Bedouin life, and the Women's Craft Centre.”

The travel booking site also identifies top-rated hotels as well as popular tours, iconic attractions and upcoming events to offer travellers a glimpse into the great things they can discover when they visit these award-winning destinations.