Travel Unpacked: Dubai tops TikTok travel list and tourists told to avoid Dhaka

Social media is one of the most popular ways to search for travel inspiration and a new study this week reveals the top city destinations on TikTok, Instagram and Google Search in 2024, with Dubai leading the way on the video-sharing app.

In aviation, several new routes have been announced this week, including flights between India and Abu Dhabi, and others from the UK to Egypt.

Elsewhere, travellers have been told to stay away from Bangladesh following violent protests, and overtourism is in the spotlight again, with Spain fighting back.

Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.

Dubai named TikTok’s most popular city destination

Social media is one of the most popular sources of travel inspiration, with users scouring hashtags to find their dream destinations or next big adventure.

After analysing more than 56.9 million combined posts, specialists at Titan Travel have put together a 2024 Social Travel Index, listing the most popular city destinations across TikTok and Instagram.

With more than 30 million TikTok posts, Dubai is the most popular city destination on the video-sharing platform for the second year in a row.

Famed for its towering skyscrapers, luxury lifestyle and five-star holiday resorts, Dubai is also the most searched for city on Google, with 116,400 searches.

On Instagram, Dubai ranks as the sixth most popular city destination, and is also the destination with the biggest increase in posts. Dubai has been tagged almost 124 million times on the social media platform this year, up from 111 million in 2023.

Topping the combined list of the most popular cities across social media, Nice in the French Riviera leads the way with over 94 million Instagram posts and more than 10 million on TikTok. The Unesco-listed Cote d’Azur has coastline, culture and charm by the bucketload.

London scores second with the most Instagram posts and second-highest numbers of TikTok posts. Paris, which hosts the 2024 Olympic Games, takes the third spot on the ranking.

Despite not ranking in the top 10 for city destinations, Japan topped the list for the most popular country on social media. Famed for its natural beauty, heritage, anime and more, Japan was tagged more than 175 million times on Instagram, featured in nearly 10 million TikToks and was the subject of 703,900 Google searches.

India is the second most popular country overall for #travelinspiration and the most popular on both Instagram and TikTok, while Canada ranks third.

Spain to increase cruise tax as thousands protest overtourism

Spain is set to increase tourism taxes following mass protests across the country.

In Barcelona, mayor Jaume Collboni has announced plans to increase taxes for cruise passengers. The existing €7 tax per day will be increased and apply to cruise passengers staying less than 12 hours in the Catalonian capital.

The new tax is part of a series of measures to reduce overtourism and increase city profits from shorter tourist visits, Collboni said in an interview with El Pais. He did not reveal what the new tax would be, but wants “a tourism that respects its destination”.

Protesters have been demonstrating in Barcelona and other cities across Spain throughout July. On Sunday, more than 20,000 people marched through the streets of Palma to demonstrate against overtourism on the largest of the Balearic Islands.

Under a banner that read “let’s change course and set limits on tourism”, campaigners demanded changes to the country's booming tourist industry.

In 2023, Spain received a record 85.1 million international tourists, up 19 per cent on the previous year. This year looks set to surpass that record, with the country receiving 38.7 million visitors in the first five months of the year, up 13.6 per cent on 2023 numbers.

Travel warnings issued against Bangladesh amid violent protests

Travellers from several countries have been warned against venturing to Dhaka as violent protests continue throughout the city.

Germany is the latest country to advise its citizens against visiting Bangladesh. “There is a curfew in place following violent clashes, and internet and mobile services are blocked,” said the foreign office on the social media platform X.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more injured in clashes throughout Dhaka concerning the allocation of civil service jobs.

The US has also raised its advisory to a level four, warning travellers not to go amid violent protests. “Due to the security situation, there may be a delay in provision of routine consular services,” said the US State Department.

UK travellers have been asked to avoid all but essential travel to the whole of Bangladesh. “You are advised to shelter in a safe place and follow the advice of local authorities,” said a statement from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Communications across Bangladesh have been severely disrupted, including mobile and internet services as well as local media services. Train services have also been halted.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka previously issued an advisory telling Indian citizens already in the city to avoid travelling and to stay indoors.

On Friday, Emirates cancelled flights to Dhaka as violence spiked in the capital city. Flydubai has changed the timings of its flights to Dhaka, with the revised schedule running until at least July 23.

In the UAE, several Bangladeshi nationals were arrested after starting protests against their home government.

New airline routes in the Middle East

Air travel continues to expand, with several airlines adding flights to new destinations in and around the Middle East.

Low-cost airline IndiGo is adding three new non-stop routes from India to Abu Dhabi.

Starting on August 9, the airline will operate daily flights connecting Mangaluru and the UAE capital. A day later, it will launch flights to Abu Dhabi from Coimbatore, with three services per week.

Travellers hoping to visit temple-filled Tiruchirappalli or Trichy, will be able to fly with the airline from August 11, with four direct services from Abu Dhabi per week. The largest airline in India previously announced a six-weekly service between Bengaluru and Abu Dhabi, starting on August 1.

“With the addition of these flights, IndiGo now operates 89 non-stop flights a week to Abu Dhabi from 13 cities in India,” says, Vinay Malhotra, IndiGo head of global sales.

In Saudi Arabia, new flights are being added to Abha in the Asir Mountains of the kingdom's south-west. Saudi will operate 19 flights per day to the destination, which is famed for its natural beauty. Flights will depart from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

And in the UK, budget airline easyJet has its eyes on Egypt with the addition of two new routes launching later this year. The first will connect Luxur, Egypt's ancient capital with London Gatwick. Flights will depart twice per week, on Mondays and Thursdays, jetting off to the destination that is famed for its monuments such as the Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of Tutankhamun.

EasyJet is also launching a seasonal route from Liverpool to Sharm El Sheikh on the southeastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula. The inaugural flight will take off on February 14 and operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays throughout the winter. Sharm El Sheikh is a popular resort town popular for its scuba diving and winter sunshine.