Dubai crowned world's favourite tourist destination for second successive year

Dubai has been crowned the number 1 global destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for a second successive year, consolidating its position as the world’s favourite tourist destination.

The recognition supports the goal of the recently launched Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to consolidate Dubai’s status as one of the world’s top three destinations for tourism and business.

The international ranking was announced by Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, at its annual Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Destination Awards 2023.

The back-to-back global seals of approval underscore the significant efforts to bolster the city’s vibrant economy and tourism ecosystem as it seeks to deliver the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s most visited and liveable city.

Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award winners are uniquely chosen by millions of travellers from around the world, who provide their real and unbiased reviews or opinions on destinations, activities and experiences.

The quality and quantity of independent destination reviews and ratings from travellers covered a period of 12 months from 1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022.

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said, "The top ranking by global travellers reflects the vision of the leadership to transform Dubai into the world’s top destination for tourism and business, as embodied by a key goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33."

"The Agenda’s objective of consolidating Dubai’s status as one of world’s top three cities for tourism and business signifies the leadership’s determination to mark Dubai out as a clear leader not only as a leisure and lifestyle destination but also as a hub for connectivity, commerce and investment," Hamdan said.

"Dubai’s diverse tourism attractions and hospitality offerings, combined with its emergence as a leading venue for global events and a magnet for talent and enterprise will continue to reinforce its status as a favourite among global travellers over the next decade. Dubai’s tourism, hospitality and events sectors have been at the forefront of a rebound and acceleration of global growth in these sectors over the last two years and will continue to play a key role in shaping their evolution in the future,” he said.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General, Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), noted, "Being named the No.1 global destination for a second consecutive year reflects the significant work undertaken by the city’s many stakeholders, our strong public private partnership model, and Dubai’s global network of partners - all of which are aligned towards the guiding vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the city of the future and the world’s best destination to visit, live and work.

"Tourism is a central pillar of Dubai’s economic growth and diversification, and the continual investment in our product offering, a frictionless and superlative guest experience and the development of the sector and those working in it, will not only serve to further accelerate industry growth but critically, will have a significant multiplier impact on many other elements of Dubai’s economic landscape and global appeal to businesses and talent.

Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

"We also see this sector’s growth providing many opportunities for national talents to enter the industry, and we will continue to provide an educational and training framework for their development as well as the wider industry’s continued advancement,” Helal Almarri added.

The top Tripadvisor award is the latest addition to a series of international accolades bestowed on Dubai, demonstrating the city’s enduring appeal as a multifaceted destination. With more than 13,000 restaurants and cafés spread across the city, offering diverse cuisines for foodies and families, Dubai continued to win international recognition as a global gastronomy hub including the launch of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai and the arrival of renowned fine-dining restaurant critique guide Gault&Millau in 2022. Several of Dubai’s restaurants, chefs and gourmet experiences were also recognised in the inaugural edition of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2022.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), commented, "Inspired by our visionary leadership, Dubai continues to take significant steps to ensure it remains at the forefront of global tourism and this award only seeks to motivate us further and drive us to work harder to stay ahead in the coming years.

"Retaining our position as the No. 1 destination in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards is just a reward for the efforts to continuously innovate and adapt to the evolving nature of travel, build out exceptional guest experiences at every touchpoint and effectively tailor Dubai’s offering for different needs and segments. As a city that is always on the move, Dubai’s charm is its unique ability to surprise and delight both new and repeat visitors with its ever-growing diverse offering while keeping its authenticity and traditions intact."

"We have successfully taken these messages to the world by bringing the destination to life through a series of global campaigns with the support of over 3,000 partners worldwide, providing international audiences an exciting insight into the city’s most iconic landmarks such as the Museum of the Future and unique hidden locations. Our focus for 2023 and beyond will be to drive and support growth through this mosaic of experiences, across all our tourism pillars from entertainment to shopping and cultural to culinary experiences.”

As one of the most sought-after cities for international travel, business and events, Dubai’s significant resurgence throughout 2022 was further spurred by Expo 2020 Dubai with the hugely successful global event attracting over 24 million visits by the time it concluded on 31st March 2022.  

In addition, Dubai’s annual calendar of festivals, leisure, sporting and business events including the Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, Gulfood, the Dubai World Cup, World Government Summit, GITEX Technology Week, Dubai Desert Classic, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, Dubai International Boat Show and the Arabian Travel Market, to name a few, spurred a significant growth in tourism.  

According to the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai welcomed 12.82 million international overnight visitors between January and November 2022, which surpasses the 6.02 million tourists that Dubai attracted in the corresponding period in 2021.

During this 11-month period, 794 hotel establishments with over 145,098 rooms also opened their doors to guests, delivering strong occupancy levels of 73 percent, which is among the highest occupancy rates internationally.

WAM