Dubai is the only city in the Middle East to make it into the top 10 of the Best of the Best Destinations list for 2025 by global travel platform Tripadvisor.
The annual Traveller's Choice Awards, which span seven categories, are given to destinations that receive a high volume of “above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community” from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
“Out of our eight million listings, fewer than one per cent achieve this milestone,” says Tripadvisor.
The all-encompassing category, Best of the Best Destinations, lists Dubai in third place, just below Bali and London in second and first respectively. Describing the city as a destination that “mixes modern culture with history,” the platform also highlights Dubai's shopping and entertainment options.
“Catch a show at Dubai Opera, see Downtown from on top of the Burj Khalifa and spend an afternoon along Dubai Creek exploring the gold, textile and spice souqs,” it says.
Dubai has also been ranked in other categories – placing seventh in both the Best Destinations for Solo Travellers and Top Destinations of the Last 25 Years, which is based on all-time reviews on the platform.
From the region, Marrakesh also makes the Best of the Best Destinations list at number eight, as a “magical place, brimming with markets, gardens, palaces and mosques”. The former imperial city in western Morocco also comes up in a few other award categories, such as top food and top culture destinations.
The Turkish city of Istanbul is 17th, with travellers describing it as a place that “isn't just one city, but many cities within one”.
“Over the centuries, many cultures have added their mark to this prized piece of land. Today, you can experience those influences first-hand by exploring Istanbul’s mahalles or neighbourhoods,” Tripavisor says.
Bahrain's Manama on the rise
The awards also include “on-the-up cities”, a list based on year-on-year growth of reviews. Asian cities have a strong showing in this category, headlined by Japan's Osaka on top, followed by the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
But the breakout star of the list is Bahraini capital Manama, which ranks fourth. Described by Tripadvisor as a “major financial centre with a thriving economy”, the city is known for its decorated skyline and vibrant nightlife.
Modernity aside, cultural charm is part of its overall allure too. “The narrow rows of stalls at the Bab el-Bahrain souq are famous for their vast array of perfumes, spices, and gold,” Tripadvisor says, recommending the attraction for day trips or even half-day trips.
The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh is also on the trending destinations list, ranking 14th as “a magnet for divers and ecotourists”. Qatar's Doha ranks 20th on the list, and is highly regarded for its shopping malls and picturesque architecture.
Giza, where travellers set forth to predominantly to see the ever-famous Pyramids, is 22nd.
Top 10 Best of the Best Destinations in the world by Tripadvisor
- London, UK
- Bali, Indonesia
- Dubai, UAE
- Sicily, Italy
- Paris, France
- Rome, Italy
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Marrakesh, Morocco
- Crete, Greece
- Bangkok, Thailand
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Dunki
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
HOW TO WATCH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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SPEC%20SHEET
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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