Dubai, that fascinating city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been listed twice in a row as the Most Popular Destination in the World by the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for destinations.

• The city which is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations worldwide with its spectacular skyscrapers, beautiful beaches, and amazing attractions.
• This latest accolade is as a result of the quality and quantity of reviews/ratings from travellers on TripAdvisor over the 12 months between November 2021 and October 2022.
• The travel platform which annually releases its Travellers’ Choice Awards, has in the past year spotted Dubai as ‘The Best of the Best Destinations’, amidst various entries from the Middle East, European stalwarts, and coveted tropical and desert getaways.
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The Most Popular Destination in the World by the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards is a notable recognition, leaving Dubai as the only destination to win the title for two years consecutively after London.

Above all, travellers are seeking out new adventures this year, and our Travellers’ Choice 2023 Destinations list reflects the very best places chosen by our devoted community.

// TripAdvisor Head of Editorial, Sarah Firshein

Justin Reid, Director of Media, Destination, and Travel, TripAdvisor had earlier described Dubai in their previous win as “an ultramodern city that has it all… Despite the effects of the pandemic, Dubai still attracted visitors from near and far over the past year and has stood out as their favourite place to go in a year when they really needed some excitement”

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. 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.

// Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Being recognized as the top destination in the world indicates that Dubai has received exceptional traveler assessments across all of its tourist sectors. The Travellers’ Choice Awards are based on ratings of places to visit, stay at, and things do while traveling. Other listed include Bali, Indonesia; London, United Kingdom; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; Cancun, Mexico; Crete, Greece; Marrakech, Morocco; Dominican Republic; Istanbul, Turkey.

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 and Prime Minister of the UAE 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. 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.

// Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri

The highest TripAdvisor award is the most recent in a long line of international honors given to Dubai, underscoring its continued popularity as a diverse travel destination. Through the launch of the MICHELIN Guide Dubai and the arrival of renowned fine-dining restaurant critique guide Gault & Millau in 2022, Dubai continues to gain recognition as a global gastronomy hub with its more than 13’000 restaurants and cafes offering a variety of cuisines for foodies and families. The first-ever Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in 2022 recognized a number of Dubai’s eateries, chefs, and fine dining establishments.

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.

// CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), His Excellency Issam Kazim

Expo 2020 Dubai, a very successful worldwide event that attracted over 24-million visitors by the time it ended on March 31, 2022, further contributed to Dubai’s substantial resurgence during 2022 as one of the most sought-after destinations for international travel, commerce, and events. A significant increase in tourism was also sparked by Dubai’s calendar of annual festivals, leisure, sporting, and business events, which includes the Arabian Travel Market, Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, Gulfood, Dubai World Cup, World Government Summit, GITEX Technology Week, Dubai Desert Classic, and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

According to the most recent statistics released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, 12.82-million foreign overnight visitors visited Dubai between January and November 2022, above the 6.02-million visitors that Dubai attracted during the same time period in 2021. 794 hotels with more than 145,098 rooms opened their doors to visitors during this 11-month period, resulting in strong occupancy levels of 73%, which is among the highest occupancy rates internationally.

Dubai is continually adopting regulatory, infrastructure, and travel measures to draw even more tourists from around the world as it keeps up with the ever changing global tourism scene. Due to the assistance provided by both domestic and foreign partners in promoting the city as a destination that is safe, open, and accessible, Dubai’s tourist momentum has continued to pick up momentum.

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