Travellers around the world have made their choice: Dubai is the most popular destination for 2022. 

This is according to US travel firm Tripadvisor’s first Travellers’ Choice Awards for Destinations – The Best of the Best Destinations, released on Wednesday. 

The study, which took into account traveller reviews and ratings over the 12-month period between November 1, 2020 and October 31, 2021, ranked Dubai as the highest-rated and most-loved spot on earth. 

“Dubai has shoved perennial icons like London, Paris and Rome aside to take the [number one spot],” Tripadvisor said. 

Second on the list is London, UK, followed by Cancun, Mexico; Bali, Indonesia; Crete, Greece; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Istanbul, Turkey; Paris, France and Hurghada, Egypt. 

Dubai has seen an increase in visitor traffic since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. In the last quarter of 2021, arrivals further increased, buoyed by public events, including Expo 2020 Dubai. 

“Despite the effects of the pandemic, Dubai still attracted visitors from near and far over the past year, and has stood out as [travellers’] favourite place to go in a year when they really needed some excitement,” Justin Reid, Director of Media, Destinations and Travel at Tripadvisor, told CNN. 

The tourism sector plays a huge part in Dubai’s local economy, with its GDP contributions worth more than 150 billion dirhams ($40.8 billion) as of 2017. 

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria ) 

Cleofe.maceda@lseg.com 

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