The carrier will soon be operating 10 flights weekly between Abu Dhabi and the Indian city
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For star-crossed lovers Divesh and Emmy, Dubai was the perfect place to meet. Hungarian national Emmy and Divesh, from Mauritius, found it very convenient to come to the city to meet each other. “Rather than one of us travelling half the world to each other, Dubai was a central place for us to travel to,” said the young couple. “We have done many touristy things in the last three days. Tomorrow we are going out for a desert safari. We love it here."
Every tourist to the city has reasons to fall in love with Dubai. On Wednesday, the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards ranked Dubai as the best destination for holidaymakers in the world for 2023 — for the second year in a row. The 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.
Khaleej Times caught up with four tourists in the city- some who were here for the first while others were seasonal visitors- and asked them why they loved coming back to Dubai. Here are their reasons:
Khadija Kazi, America
The American of Indian origin is visiting Dubai “for the millionth time” in her own words to visit family and friend in the city. Her reasons for coming here are
1. Tourist Spots: According to Khadija, tourist spots in Dubai are one reason why she keeps coming back to the city. “If I had to pick one favourite tourist spot, that would be the Global Village,” she said. “I love walking around there, shopping, eating and having fun. You can’t keep track of time when you are in Global. But if I had to pick my all-time favourite place, it was Expo 2020. Honestly, I loved the entire experience of the city. I stayed for pretty long during that visit just to enjoy the Expo.”
2. Food: “There is no place in the world quite like Dubai for food,” she said. “I love experimenting with the different cuisines available. For me, the two things that set Dubai apart in terms of food are that it is all halal and the cleanliness. I have heard from my family how the Dubai Municipality works to keep everything clean here. So I can eat without any fear of food poisoning.”
Dr. Michal Lukan, Prague
Dental surgeon Dr. Lukan is visiting Dubai with friends and is staying in Marina. “I love the views from where I am staying,” he said. “I am looking forward to going for a desert safari this evening.” He has come to Dubai earlier and continues to return for:
3. Healthcare: “I am impressed with the quality of healthcare and clinics in the city. “I have visited many clinics here and I am impressed by how luxurious and futuristic they are,” he said. “The service is fantastic and everything is done so easily. I am so impressed that in the future, I would want to set-up my own clinic here.”
4. People: “All the people I have met in the city have been extremely kind and very professional,” he said. “Whether it is at the airport, the clinics or here in Marina where I am staying. They are all very polite. The more people I see, the more I love this city.”
Rita and Hank, Netherlands
The couple, who are visiting Dubai for the very first time as part of a Middle East tour, were enjoying the aquarium in Dubai Mall when team KT met them. According to them, the biggest takeaway from their tour was:
5. Buildings: “We love the glitz and glamour of the city,” said Rita. “The buildings are so tall and fancy. We can’t take enough photos. I think the buildings are what we are going to talk the most about to our friends when we go back. “
6. Ease of Access: Hank found the ease of getting everywhere extremely helpful. “Whether it is the position of Dubai as a transit airport to travel anywhere in the world, or whether it is to get to any tourist spot, it is easy to get around in Dubai,” he said. “There are taxis everywhere and the metro is fast and clean. I like it.”
Muhammad Hussain, UK
The British national has visited Dubai many times and plans to return soon. “I love this city for so many reasons,” he said. When asked to pick two, these are what he selected:
7. Safety: “I have walked around the city at all times of the day,” he said. “I have seen how there are patrols at all times. I love how safe it is. No need to worry about pick pocketers or getting back to the hotel before it is too late. It is one of the reasons I keep coming back.”
8. Desert: “I have been here, maybe, 40 times,” he said. “Each time there are so many different experiences. The one I keep going back to is the desert safari because it is something you cannot find anywhere in Europe. I love the peace and calm of the desert.”
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