Abu Dhabi and Dubai have claimed third and fourth place respectively on Travel & Leisure magazine's list of the most preferred tourist destinations for travellers in the Middle East and Africa for 2026, as part of the magazine's annual World's Best Awards.
Abu Dhabi scored 87.92 points in the magazine's reader survey, edging ahead of Dubai, which recorded 87.74 points, based on travellers' experiences and opinions of the world's top tourist destinations.
The ranking draws on a large-scale survey in which more than 207,000 readers submitted more than 661,000 ratings, reflecting visitor satisfaction across more than 10,000 destinations and tourist facilities worldwide, including cities, hotels, resorts, islands, airlines, cruise ships, and wellness centres.
Travel & Leisure confirmed that its awards, now in their 31st year, serve as a benchmark for the destinations and experiences that earn the highest levels of appreciation from travellers, noting that top-ranked cities stand out for the diversity of their tourism offerings, the quality of their hospitality facilities, the sophistication of their services, and the excellence of their dining and entertainment options.
In a separate ranking, Dubai placed seventh globally on William Russell's list of the 10 most welcoming cities for new expats, which evaluates major cities according to how easily newcomers can settle in and feel a sense of belonging.
The emirate scored 7.61 out of 10, outperforming Warsaw, Seoul, and Hong Kong, though it placed behind Zurich, Singapore, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Munich, and Prague.
Dubai's presence in the top 10 of the William Russell ranking reinforces its standing as a global destination for professionals and expatriates — a status underpinned by its high proportion of foreign residents, alongside the visa policies and business environment it has pursued for years to attract international talent and investment.
The study assessed the most welcoming countries and cities for expatriates in 2026 based on six criteria: actual expat experiences, the size of the immigrant population, employment rates among the foreign-born, local attitudes towards migrants, safety levels, and the openness of visa policies.