It's official: Dubai has been declared as the world's most popular destination for 2022. The Emirate has been ranked ahead of cities like London, Rome, and Paris. "What an amazing accomplishment indeed, and Dubai has proven to the world that it is both a fun and a safe place to visit", said Martie Daems, Managing Director of Welcome to the UAE.

The Emirate has received the prestigious title 'The Best of the Best Destinations' awarded by Tripadvisors' Travellers' Choice Awards for 2022. An award that honours travellers' favourite destinations, hotels, restaurants, and things to do, based on the reviews and opinions collected over 12 months.

"Because of the progressive local policies, businesses here have been able to recover rapidly from the covid-19 pandemic. The straightforward policies are exactly what the industry needed to get back on its feet", Daems added.

The video destination platform Welcome to the World, launched in December 2020, showcases the most popular hotels, restaurants, attractions, and experiences of 175 global tourism hotspots. Soon after the launch in Dubai, a license agreement with partners in both the UAE and the Netherlands was signed.

The Dubai-based platform offers travel and tourism operators the opportunity to create their online merchant profiles via a free-of-charge option or with a fixed yearly fee which leverages the content revitalisation features. At the same time, individual users can create complimentary personal accounts to unlock a world of welcoming benefits. 

"On our platform, Dubai is the top researched destination, followed by Abu Dhabi. Of course, the way it dealt with the pandemic is one of the main reasons why it is so popular amongst international visitors", said Melvin Visser, Chief Information Officer of the platform. 

According to the travellers that awarded Dubai the prestigious title, the city is a destination that "mixes modern culture with history, adventure with world-class shopping and entertainment." 

Besides all-year-round sunshine, visitors can see the Emirate from the world's highest tower - the Burj Khalifa - and spend an afternoon along Dubai Creek exploring the traditional Arabic gold and spice souks.

Visser: "Dubai is just a very dynamic city full of amazing things to see and do", added Visser. "People were locked-down everywhere in the world, while here in the UAE, life continued with minimal limitations. That news travelled fast, and we see the result of that."

Dubai was among the first cities in the world to reopen to tourists after closing its borders to shut out Covid-19 indeed. That gave the Emirate a huge advantage in the international tourism world. Occupational rates are currently roughly 6 per cent higher than in the same period before the pandemic broke out.  

Welcome to the UAE also ripes the benefits of the surge in local tourism. The platform signed exclusive welcoming deals with big brands like the Waldorf Astoria in the DIFC, the much-coveted Address Dubai Marina, as well as the Ritz-Carlton, Dubai. "We are really happy to have these big brands onboard and see our portfolio grow in the past year", Daems concluded.