Tripadvisor's most popular world destination for 2022 is...

Tripadvisor says a 20th-century fishing village that has boomed into a 21st-century global hot spot for high-end travel is its most popular destination in the world for 2022.
The travel platform has just released its Travellers' Choice Awards for 2022: The Best of the Best Destinations.
While ultramodern Dubai snags the top spot, it's not the only Middle Eastern entry. And this year's list ranges from European stalwarts to coveted tropical and desert getaways.
Top 10 most popular destinations in the world
These are Tripadvisor's highest-rated, most-loved overall places for 2022:
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- London, United Kingdom
- Cancún, Mexico
- Bali, Indonesia
- Crete, Greece
- Rome, Italy
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Paris, France
- Hurghada, Egypt
Why Dubai?
"An always popular spot, Dubai has been slowly rising in the ranks of Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards over the past few years, and now in 2022 takes the crown of the number one most popular destination in the world," said Justin Reid, director of media, destinations and travel at Tripadvisor, in an email to CNN Travel.
"Dubai is an ultramodern city that has it all: golden beaches, world-class dining, and gorgeous hotels. Since the Travellers' Choice Awards are based on reviews of places to go, stay and things to do in destinations, to rank as the world's best means a destination has obtained stellar traveller reviews across all of its tourism sectors," Reid said.
"Despite the effects of the pandemic, Dubai still attracted visitors from near and far over the past year, and has stood out as their favourite place to go in a year when they really needed some excitement," he said.
For people who want to join the in-crowd in Dubai this year, rules for entry can be a bit complicated and depend on where you're coming from.
The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, has opened applications for tourist visas to vaccinated travelers from all countries, apart from a dozen African nations.
Passengers arriving into Dubai from most countries must present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival, but that's trimmed to 48 hours for arrivals from select destinations.
As of January 18, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention put the travel risk for the United Arab Emirates at Level 3, or "high" risk for Covid-19. The CDC makes weekly updates to its rankings.
Top 10 trending destinations in the world
The trending destinations category is for the locations that showed the greatest year-over-year increase in a combination of positive Tripadvisor traveller reviews and ratings for accommodations, restaurants and things to do. These are the top 10:
- Mallorca, Spain
- Cairo, Egypt
- Rhodes, Greece
- Tulum, Mexico
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Ibiza, Spain
- Natal, Brazil
- Arusha, Tanzania
- Göreme, Turkey
- Santorini, Greece
The general Mediterranean basin does quite well here with seven entries, and sun-soaked destinations dominate.
Top 10 most popular destinations the United States
America's favourite gambling city tops the U.S. list for 2022, and warm-weather getaways are clearly a big draw with Tripadvisor users:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Oahu, Hawaii
- Maui, Hawaii
- Key West, Florida
- New York City, New York
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Savannah, Georgia
- Miami Beach, Florida
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Sedona, Arizona
Meanwhile, the Island of Hawaii, the biggest island in the state of Hawaii, is the No. 1 trending location in the United States for 2022.
Other categories
Along with its broader categories, Tripadvisor also features favourites in specialty categories. Tops in those are:
Food lovers: Rome, Italy
Outdoor enthusiasts: Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Skiers: Zermatt, Switzerland
City lovers: Dubai
Sun seekers: Cancún
How the locations are chosen
According to Tripadvisor, the selections honour the locations that are the most popular among their reviewers.
The methodology took into account quality and volume of reviews over the period from November 1, 2020, to October 31, 2021, "to select destinations that consistently deliver the best overall experience for travelers," it said.
Click here to find out more at Tripadvisor.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police inaction moves to centre of Uvalde shooting probe
The actions -- or more notably, the inaction -- of a school district police chief and other law enforcement officers has become the centre of the investigation into this week's shocking school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Putin warns against continued arming of Ukraine; Kremlin claims another city captured
As Russia asserted progress in its goal of seizing the entirety of contested eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin tried to shake European resolve Saturday to punish his country with sanctions and to keep supplying weapons that have supported Ukraine's defence.
Truth tracker: Analyzing the World Economic Forum 'Great Reset' conspiracy theory
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos was met with justifiable criticisms and unfounded conspiracy theories.
Woman with disabilities approved for medically assisted death relocated thanks to 'inspiring' support
A 31-year-old disabled Toronto woman who was conditionally approved for a medically assisted death after a fruitless bid for safe housing says her life has been 'changed' by an outpouring of support after telling her story.
Calling social conservatives dinosaurs was 'wrong terminology', says Patrick Brown
Federal Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown says calling social conservatives 'dinosaurs' in a book he wrote about his time in Ontario politics was 'the wrong terminology.'
Hydro Ottawa says goal is to restore power to all customers by the end of the weekend
Hydro Ottawa says the goal is to restore power to "the bulk" of homes and businesses by the end of the weekend as crews enter "the last phase" of restoration efforts.
Remote parts of rural eastern Ontario could wait weeks for power restoration
A Hydro One spokesperson says some people living in remote parts of rural eastern Ontario could be waiting weeks to have power restored after last Saturday’s devastating and deadly storm.
B.C. speedboat driver arrested with 650kg of meth 'feared for his family's safety,' he told U.S. investigators
New details are emerging after a 51-year-old Alberta man was arrested aboard a speedboat that U.S. authorities say was carrying 650 kilograms of methamphetamine between Washington state and British Columbia.
FBI records on search for fabled gold raise more questions
A scientific analysis commissioned by the FBI shortly before agents went digging for buried treasure suggested that a huge quantity of gold could be below the surface, according to newly released government documents and photos that deepen the mystery of the 2018 excavation in remote western Pennsylvania.