Dubai ranks third in top cities for mindful travellers in Middle East & Africa

KAYAK Launches City Index for Mindful Travellers

City trips are one of the drivers for global travel, with the expectation that almost 800 million people will visit global urban destinations annually by 2025*. To help travellers research options for mindful urban travel easily, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine, has launched the City Index for Mindful Travellers**. Rotterdam secured the top spot, named the most attractive city destination for mindful travellers. Dubai finished 3rd in the Middle East and Africa ranking, with Abu Dhabi coming 4th.

KAYAK’s City Index for Mindful Travellers is an interactive guide, designed to help travellers consider sustainability-related aspects, such as Airport Carbon Accreditation, local traffic or air quality, in city destinations all over the world as they plan their next trip. The Index analysed 167 cities in 63 countries across 28 factors to help conscious travellers make more informed travel decisions. The Index also features the option to personalize the results and filter by the factors which matter the most to travellers.

Europe is leading the way

Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Graz are the first 3 positions in KAYAK’s ranking, with the top 10 spots all held by European cities. The Dutch port city of Rotterdam scored highest, with its airport having an advanced carbon management system certified by Airport Carbon Accreditation, a large number of competitively-priced properties which have been qualified by Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable Program***, a great urban rail network, and the greatest length of cycling routes per km2. Amsterdam, Netherlands, comes in 2nd, world-renowned for bike-friendly options and pedestrianised streets, with viable options for driving eco-friendly cars and a high concentration of EV charging stations. Graz, Austria, takes the 3rd spot, scoring with great rail links, plenty of EV charging stations, and a walking-only UNESCO World Heritage city centre to explore**.

Top 10 highest-ranked cities according to KAYAK’s City Index for Mindful Travellers:

1. Rotterdam, Netherlands
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Graz, Austria
4. Trondheim, Norway
5. Munich, Germany
6. Helsinki, Finland
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Gothenburg, Sweden
10. Vienna, Austria

Dubai stands out in the Middle East and Africa

Tunis, Tunisia, leads the ranking of this region thanks to the density of markets and the opportunity to buy second-hand which is great for delving into the local culture. Tel Aviv, Israel, comes in 2nd place and excels in the number of walking tours, some of which are free of charge. And while strolling from one cultural point to another, travellers can find recycling points.

Dubai rounds up the top 3 in the ranking of the Middle East and Africa region, down to its eco-friendly car hire options for costs lower than for conventional cars. Dubai’s rail transport connectivity is good, while it also has plenty of pedestrianised roads and bike paths per km2. All this provides travellers with carless ways to get around and allows them to explore the city’s sights with less carbon emissions easier.

Abu Dhabi also performed well, landing right after Dubai and emerging as one of the region’s top destinations for mindful travellers due to its large share of properties with such practices in place as eliminating single-use plastic or running on renewable energy sources, finishing only behind Norwegian city Trondheim worldwide in this regard. It is also a less popular destination among travellers than nearby Dubai.

There many opportunities to travel the world more responsibly

Vancouver in Canada storms onto the podium in North America, being noted particularly for its air quality. Tokyo in Japan reached the highest rank in the Asia-Pacific region. The Japanese capital’s local markets, theatres and art galleries are extremely accessible thanks to “pedestrian only streets’’ and designated bike roads. Santiago in Chile took the grand prize in the Latin American ranking. Santiago offers the biggest reduction in average flight prices during the low season, with its airport being recognised for great carbon management according to Airport Carbon Accreditation.

– ENDS –

*According to the ‘Global City Travel Report’ issued by Oxford Economics.
** City Index for Mindful Travellers was created by KAYAK and its portfolio of travel brands, including momondo. 167 cities in 63 countries have been analysed across 28 factors based on external and KAYAK’s own search data from 01 March – 22 September 2022. The insights collected are based on the latest available data. For full details on the City Index for Mindful Travellers methodology, please visit https://www.kayak.ae/responsible-traveller#methodology.
*** Travel Sustainable, a program pioneered by Booking.com and counting more than 400K accommodations recognized globally, provides credible information of impactful sustainability efforts taken by a wide range of properties worldwide and gives travelers a transparent, consistent and easy-to-understand way to identify a wider range of more sustainable stays, no matter where they want to travel. To learn more about the Travel Sustainable Program, visit https://www.sustainability.booking.com/booking-travel-sustainable