Dubai has been the hottest city for Middle Eastern shoppers for years, but now a new survey ranks it first among global cities ahead of New York and London. According to the latest TripAdvisor World City Survey of more than 54,000 global travelers, Tokyo tops the overall list, while Dubai is best city for shopping and hotels.
Last week, one of the largest travel websites, TripAdvisor announced the results of the latest survey on global cities, revealing the most attractive tourist destinations across the globe. The cities were ranked based on over 54,000 responses from globetrotters who have recently reviewed cities on the website. This year, Tokyo beats New York and Barcelona, receiving high scores in most categories and chosen Best World’s City for travelers. It particularly excels in cleanliness, hospitality and friendliness, taxi service and local public transport. New York, the second-best in the overall ranking, scores highest in dining and night-life scene and shopping. It is followed by Barcelona (No.3), Istanbul (No.4), Prague (No.5), Vienna (No.6), Berlin (No.7), Rome (No.8), Paris (No.9), and Dubrovnik (No.10).
While Rome is best for cultural experiences and has the best attractions, Singapore is chosen best for travelling alone in comfort. In Dubrovnik, tourists enjoy the friendliest taxi drivers and in Budapest, they will get the best value for their money. Although Dubai didn’t make it to the top 10, it managed to receive the highest score in two categories – shopping experiences and hotels. Shopping is also good for travelers in New York City and London, while the second and third cities in the world for hotels are Cancun and Bangkok.
The popularity of Dubai as a global tourist destination keeps growing, which is clearly reflected in the survey. The ambitious goal of reaching 20 million visitors annually seems more realistic than ever with new attractions and hotels in constant development. Shopping and hotels are certainly the most attractive features of the emirate, being a home to a large number of shopping malls, including the world’s biggest shopping, leisure and entertainment destination, The Dubai Mall. The world’s tallest hotel is also located in Dubai – Marriott Marquis, while the iconic sail-shaped 7-star Burj Al Arab is the world’s most luxurious hotel.
It seems shopping has nothing to do with culture – while Dubai is best for shopping experience, it has the lowest score for culture. The worst overall experience for travelers is in Mumbai, the city ranking low in most categories, together with Punta Cana and Moscow.
