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Travel to Dubai, experience the future

According to TikTok Travel Index 2022, the Emirate is emerging as the most viewed destination, with #Dubai garnering 81.8 billion views

Early and effective containment and handling of the pandemic while easing visa rules have drawn more people to Dubai than any other city in the world. Social media is therefore buzzing and word is spreading on what the emirate has to offer the curious traveller who is getting younger and more restless after the health crisis that has gripped the world for more than two years.

The TikTok Travel Index 2022 saw the city emerging as the most viewed destination, with #Dubai garnering 81.8 billion views, pushing New York City to second place. Last year, the emirate received 7.28 million visitors. In the first five months this year, it has already played host to 6.17 million travellers.  The tourism sector, meanwhile, received a boost with Dh6.4 billion in FDI while creating 5,545 jobs.

How did the turnaround happen so quickly after the pandemic? Dubai saw in the disruption an opportunity to fine-tune its craft and up its tourism game. Now, from transit to budget to business travellers, the city has a package for everyone looking to enjoy the sights of a futuristic urban centre that’s prides itself in being among the most connected in the world. Aviation is soaring from here with Emirates and Dubai Airports being the best in international travel. The hospitality sector is thriving. Going anywhere from this metropolis easy. Traditional leaders on the tourism charts like New York and London have fallen behind the Middle East’s bustling metropolis that is famous for trade, commerce, and skyscrapers. The ease of doing business in the city makes it convenient for those on the move to mix work with leisure. Hybrid work culture is taking root and a liberal visa regime has made the emirate a favourite for those seeking flexibility as they move away from the grind.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, global hubs saw a fall in travellers, but Dubai found a new stride as it reinvented itself and built back better. With the worst of Covid hopefully behind us, the city, which had positioned itself for the great leap, was the first to recover from the tourism drought to make a fresh appeal to global wanderers who are taking revenge travel seriously. Many of them are younger and are keen to experience the world. So, the city built new wonders like the Museum of the Future billed as the most beautiful building in the world to lure them into witnessing the start of what’s in store. As far as modern wonders go, Dubai has the right mix to keep travellers coming to visit attractions that are experiential and state of the art. If older cities have legacy and history, the emirate has innovation and an eye on the future. It's also the safest in the world. Travellers welcome.