Sheikh Hamdan shared the news on Twitter that the emirate has retained its No. 1 spot in 2023
Dubai. Photo: Sheikh Hamdan
Dubai has been ranked the best destination for holidaymakers in the world for 2023 — for the second year in a row, according to Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards announced on Wednesday.
The annual awards' top cities were chosen based on the reviews of millions of travellers that were submitted on Tripadvisor’s website from November 1, 2021, to October 31, 2022.
“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… 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,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.
Source: Tripadvisor
“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 added.
The emirate’s tourism sector has strongly rebounded in the past two years after the pandemic. Dubai received 12.82 million overnight visitors in January- November 2022, surpassing last year’s figures of six million, according to data Dubai Economy and Tourism data.
During these 11 months, 794 hotel establishments with over 145,098 rooms also opened their doors to guests, delivering strong occupancy levels of 73 per cent.
In 2022, Dubai also received the highest tourist spending among all the cities in the world, reaching $29.4 billion (Dh108 billion), according to the latest World Travel and Tourism Council.
The emirate was recently ranked first regionally and fifth best city in the world in the World’s Best Cities report 2023.
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“Dubai is a destination that mixes modern culture with history, adventure with world-class shopping and entertainment… If you’re looking for thrills, you can float above the desert dunes in a hot air balloon, climb aboard a high-speed ride at IMG Worlds of Adventure or skydive over Palm Jumeirah,” Tripadvisor said.
“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,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
“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,” Almarri added.
Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said the emirate continues to take significant steps to ensure it remains at the forefront of global tourism.
“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,” said Kazim.
Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.