Dubai has been named the most viewed travel destination on TikTok, amassing more than 92 billion views on the video sharing app.
The emirate came out on top in a list of global travel destinations, put together by website airportparkingreservations.com.
The data looked at the number of views for major global cities, with Dubai coming out way in front. Researchers credited the city’s legion of attractions, such as Burj Khalifa and Atlantis, The Palm, as making it a content hotspot.
Barcelona came in second with 61.3 billion views, helped by tourist hotspots including Basilica de la Sagrada Familia and Camp Nou stadium, home of Barcelona FC.
Coming in third place was UK capital London, with 42.7 billion TikTok views. The city’s art and culture landmarks and museums proved to be content hotspots, as well as its architecture, parks and green spaces.
However, London came out on top with Instagram users, with more than 158 million posts tagging the destination on the social media site.
The broader study looked to focus specifically on cities that are popular with Gen Z travellers, and took in several other factors aside from social media views to give cities an overall global ranking, including safety rating, Google search volume, attractions and restaurants per 100,000 people and hostels.
Dubai ranked in third place overall, with a rating of 7.1 out of 10. Barcelona came just ahead with 7.26, and London being named the overall the best city for Gen Z travellers. Paris and Amsterdam rounded out the top five. Prague, Berlin, Rome, Milan and Bangkok made up the top 10.
It is not the first time Dubai has performed favourably in travel lists in 2022. In July, it was named as the most popular city break destination in the world by hotel chain Premier Inn.
The emirate was coveted for its “glorious sunshine and glistening, luxurious lifestyle”, and was the number one choice for travellers from 21 countries.
Some of Dubai's most popular tourist destinations — in pictures
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Everything Now
Arcade Fire
(Columbia Records)
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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