Residents already know that Abu Dhabi is among the best cities in the world, with its beautiful beaches, world-class restaurants, and abundance of cultural activities.
And now the rest of the world has recognised the UAE’s capital’s greatness, with the city named the 25th best in the world.
According to WorldsBestCities.com, Abu Dhabi is “the new cultural capital of the UAE”, thanks to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat, as well as upcoming museums and galleries including the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim, Zayed National Museum and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi.
The report looked at three main areas when assessing cities – livability, lovability, and prosperity.
Abu Dhabi came out top for prosperity, which looks at GDP per capita, labour force participation, poverty rate, educational attainment and the number of start-ups.
Its lovability score – which factors in cultural experiences, nightlife, restaurants, shopping and attractions as well as Instagram hashtags and Google Trends – was 84.
The report notes, “From a pearl diving port that housed mangroves and gazelles to an oil-and-gas superpower to a global arts and culture destination, Abu Dhabi has, time and again, reinvented itself in ways big—and bigger.”
We’re here for it.
Wondering which city came out top? London was ranked number one for the ninth year in a row, with Paris in second and New York City in third. Tokyo and Singapore rounded out the top five.
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Dubai also ranked highly, coming out in sixth place. The report notes, “Lavish, luxurious and lively in equal measure, Dubai continues its epic ascent on the world stage.”
Other GCC cities in the rankings include Riyadh in 28th, Doha in 36th, Kuwait in 58th and Muscat in 89th.
You can read the full report by clicking here.
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