The emirate polarizes like no other place, and yet: Dubai was recently voted the most popular travel destination in the world for the third time in a row. The question remains as to why.
In a city of extremes, superlatives are the norm. Of course everything has to be bigger, faster and more expensive. And so in Dubai you don't just float on cloud nine, but instead strive for higher things. The new hotspot is called Cloud 22 and is – it makes sense – on the 22nd floor of the recently built hotel Atlantis The Royal. A sun lounger at the Skypool is available from around 110 euros per day. We are currently unable to verify whether this is a (price) record, but it is another one: the largest jellyfish aquarium in the world is bubbling in the lobby of the luxury hotel. And because Dubai also boasts the world's tallest skyscraper, the world's fastest police car (a Bugatti Veyron), the world's largest water park and the world's tallest Ferris wheel, it's no surprise that the desert metropolis has now secured yet another award has. The emirate was recently named the most popular holiday destination, “Best-of-the-Best” by TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel review platform. For the third time in a row, as the first city in the world.
The “Traveller's Choice Award” is not awarded by a jury, but is based on the ratings and reviews from travelers. All reviews that you have given for hotels, restaurants, sights and excursions on the platform within the past twelve months are summarized and evaluated. And even if ratings are not immune to manipulation: The award was neither bought nor sponsored – which critics might suspect, given how polarizing the city on the Persian Gulf is. Some people think it's an artificial Disneyland that swallows up tons of energy with a sheikh who – to put it carefully – isn't exactly a popular figure. A modern, pulsating metropolis in which the beach and city life form an irresistible symbiosis, innovations emerge and the future is always one step ahead, like a hare or a hedgehog, is what others think.
One of the main reasons for Dubai's popularity is quite simple: the city can be reached in around six hours by plane from both Europe and Asia and offers guaranteed sunshine all year round. Blues is only played in one of the numerous hip bars, not in the soul. In addition: Dubai is considered one of the safest cities in the world. While the crime rate is rising in almost all other metropolises, locals and tourists don't have to worry about pickpockets and thieves. The reason is a comprehensive surveillance network operating with artificial intelligence, which is supplemented by a strict legal apparatus. Sounds like George Orwell? In everyday life, however, there is no sign of the strict security precautions.
But what really catches the eye is the architecture, which is outstanding in the truest sense of the word. The desert city is like a huge sandpit, only without a fence. A playground for all those whose dreams would collapse like sandcastles elsewhere. There is more than enough space to let off steam with spectacular ideas. From the Museum of the Future, opening in 2022, which looks like an out-of-shape donut, to Foster + Partners' flying taxi terminal design. The studio led by star architect Norman Foster has even set up its own office in the Dubai Design District. The Dubai Creek Tower, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is scheduled to open this year – and will surpass the Burj Khalifa as the tallest building in the world. ME by Mélia by Zaha Hadid, which opened just a few days before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, also appears futuristic. It is the only hotel in which the late Pritzker Prize winner designed both the facade and the interior.
According to the Department of Economy and Tourism, 17.15 million people traveled to the emirate last year, representing a growth of 19.4 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of visitors thus exceeded the pre-pandemic value. And construction cranes for new hotels are towering up everywhere. The latest luxury addition is the One Za'abeel project by architecture firm Nikken Sekkei, which houses the new One & Only Hotel. The complex consists of two skyscrapers connected by the world's longest cantilever bridge, the so-called The Link. The boulevard floats 100 meters above the ground. Star chefs like Anne-Sophie Pic, Bo Songvisava, Dylan Jones, Mehmet Gürs, Paco Morales and Tetsuya Wakuda are intended to attract gourmets – if they have a head for heights. The large selection of culinary hotspots also contributes to Dubai's popularity, especially since chefs are the new rock stars. The Lana hotel, part of the Dorchester Collection and opening soon in Business Bay, will feature branches of Michelin-starred chefs Martín Berasategui and Jean Imbert. And although Dubai promotes a glitzy luxury image, the city also attracts many young tourists with cheaper properties such as the 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central or the local budget chain Rove.
While Dubai used to have a reputation primarily as a shopping paradise – and the nickname “Do buy” – the countless malls are now just a sideshow. World-class museums, promenades with concept stores and chic cafés, casual beach clubs and glamping experiences in the desert (for an 1001 nights adventure, book the sustainably operated The Nest by Sonara by the Swiss Stephanie Reichenbach) are competing with the shopping centers made. And skyrocket the rating points on TripAdvisor. Can millions of tourists be wrong?
