Dubai was named as the world’s second-best culinary destination In 2026.

(2nd) Top of the chops: According to the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards, Dubai’s reputation as a global dining destination is now firmly cemented in the minds of tourists

Much like noisy chewers, the rise of food tourism is impossible to ignore. It’s a travel trend set to grow by 20 per cent year on year through to 2030 (Precedence Research, 2025). These are trips where travellers cite culinary experiences as a major driver in deciding where they go.

According to the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), travellers spend around 25 per cent of their total holiday budget on food. What’s more, over half of gastronauts travelling specifically for food lock in their restaurant reservations before they even book their flights.

So what’s fuelling the trend? We’ve always loved a good burger — that part hasn’t changed. The real shift is in the inspiration pipeline: the boom in foodie-first, “come with me” social content, paired with a generation of millennials travelling the world in search of new experiences and over-the-top cheese pulls.

 

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Habibi, come dine in Dubai

And this trend fits perfectly with the UAE. Sure, there are plenty of reasons to visit Dubai, but the food scene has had a total transformation over the last decade. It’s no longer just a hotspot for Michelin-star chefs and global food brands. Now, it’s a sizzling hub of homegrown culinary innovation, churning out world-class restaurants that highlight local ingredients and showcase the talent right on the ground.

That’s a major reason why Dubai ranked so high in the latest Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards. The city snagged a well-deserved silver (with its sights still set on gold) in the Best of the Best Destinations 2026 food ranking. The list is all user-generated, based on reviews from the Tripadvisor community that go above and beyond.

The best of the rest

London snagged the top spot (I’m a Londoner, so I’ll call it a wildly deserved win, but hey, let’s roll with it). Rome came in at third; Hong Kong flexed a solid fourth place; Paris landed fifth; Majorca took sixth; Doha held steady at seventh; Crete came in eighth; Bangkok scored ninth; and Marrakech rounded out the top ten on Tripadvisor.

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