News Desk
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People have their pictures taken near an Emaar sign outside the Dubai Mall March 15, 2014.
Reuters
Dubai climbed one spot to fourth place among the world’s top tourist cities in 2026, driven by new shopping and dining options, according to the Global Power City Index 2025.
The emirate improved from fifth place last year, reflecting its growing appeal among global travelers, the annual index said.
Dubai is globally known for its shopping destinations and is home to some of the world’s largest shopping centers, including the Dubai Mall and the Mall of the Emirates.
Other major retail destinations include the Gold Souk, Ibn Battuta Mall and Dragon Mart.
In the first half of 2025, Dubai welcomed more than 9.88 million visitors, marking a 6% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
Dubai Mall alone attracted 111 million visitors in 2024, receiving millions of visitors annually.
In the global tourism ranking, Dubai placed ahead of New York, Madrid, Moscow, Istanbul, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Vienna, Sydney, Hong Kong and Copenhagen, among others.
London, Tokyo and Paris retained the top three positions in the index.
Although London recorded a minor decline in the tourist attractions and nightlife sub-index, it continued to be viewed favorably by tourists due to its number of stadiums and museums.
Released by The Mori Memorial Foundation, the index placed Dubai ninth overall, ahead of cities including Berlin, Copenhagen, Beijing, Melbourne, Madrid, Sydney, Vienna, Stockholm, Osaka, Frankfurt, Zurich, Hong Kong and Toronto.
The Global Power City Index ranks major cities based on their “magnetism,” or their ability to attract people, capital and enterprises.
It evaluates cities across six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and accessibility.
In the overall global rankings, London topped the index, followed by Tokyo, New York, Paris, Singapore, Seoul, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Dubai and Berlin.
Among the 48 cities evaluated, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Cairo, Jakarta, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo, Fukuoka and Washington, D.C., ranked at the bottom.
Top choice for business leaders
When assessed from the perspective of business leaders making corporate location decisions, Dubai ranked fourth globally.
The index said Dubai improved its scores across workplace options and the number of startups, rising from ninth place last year to fourth this year.
From the perspective of highly skilled global workers, Dubai placed seventh in the index.
In economic performance, Dubai jumped from 42nd to 10th place in GDP growth rate, entering the top 10 cities for the first time.
Dubai announced a GDP growth rate of 5.3% in the third quarter of 2025, reaching Dh113.8 billion.
GDP growth stood at 4.7% during the first nine months of 2025, totaling Dh355 billion.
Dubai ranked fifth in accessibility, tourism attractions and cultural interaction.
The growth of Emirates and flydubai significantly strengthened the city’s global connectivity.
Dubai placed third worldwide for cities with direct international flights.
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