Abu Dhabi and Dubai among world’s top five destinations for family tourism

Dubai has been ranked the world’s second-most family-friendly city and destination for travelling with children, while Abu Dhabi secured fifth place globally, according to the World’s Most Child-Friendly Cities 2026 ranking published by Radical Storage.

The ranking assessed 50 major cities worldwide against 14 indicators designed to measure how well destinations cater to families and provide safe, comfortable and welcoming environments for children.

Dubai scored 6.5 out of 10 in the overall ranking, outperforming prominent international cities such as Osaka, Hong Kong and Singapore. Abu Dhabi scored 6.1 points, sharing fifth place with South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

Tokyo topped the list with 6.8 points, followed by Dubai, while Kuala Lumpur ranked third with 6.4 points and Osaka fourth with 6.3 points.

The presence of the two UAE cities among the world’s top five reflects their strong performance across several sub-indicators, particularly safety, as well as the availability of family-friendly accommodation and tourist attractions suitable for children.

Cities’ Safety Index

Dubai and Abu Dhabi jointly secured first place globally in the Cities’ Safety Index, each scoring 88.7 points, according to safety data from Numbeo, outperforming all other cities included in the study.

Japan’s Kyoto ranked third with 85.8 points, followed by Taipei in fourth place with 83.5 points, while Munich scored 78.4 points.

The index assesses safety levels in relation to crime, including rates of theft, vandalism and assault. The results highlight the UAE cities’ leading positions as destinations offering safe environments for families and visitors.

Child-friendly attractions and activities

Abu Dhabi ranked second globally in the category of child-friendly attractions and activities, with 29.6 per cent of the attractions included in the study classified as suitable for children, representing 34 destinations.

The UAE capital outperformed Kuala Lumpur, which recorded 28.7 per cent, while Orlando in the United States topped the category with 38.5 per cent.

Dubai ranked eighth globally, with 20.2 per cent of its attractions classified as suitable for children, representing 86 attractions and activities. This figure reflects the diversity of family-oriented and entertainment options available across the emirate.

Affordable hotel accommodation

In terms of accommodation affordability, Dubai ranked third globally among the cities offering the lowest hotel accommodation costs, with an average nightly rate of €53 ($59.10).

Bangkok topped the list with an average of €35 per night, followed by Kuala Lumpur at €47, while Shanghai ranked fourth at €71.

The data also highlighted Dubai’s strong performance in terms of the availability of family-friendly accommodation options. The emirate recorded 642 accommodation establishments classified as suitable for families, ranking third globally after Tokyo, with 1,290 establishments, and Kuala Lumpur, with 1,145.

14 indicators to assess family-friendliness

Radical Storage’s ranking was based on an analysis of 50 of the world’s most populous cities, using 14 indicators grouped into three main categories to assess their suitability for family tourism.

The study used Booking.com data to evaluate hotel prices, average guest ratings and the number of family-friendly accommodation options. It also drew on Numbeo’s Safety Index and healthcare access indicators, alongside traveller reviews to determine the proportion of attractions and activities suitable for children.

Each city was assigned a score ranging from one to 10 in each category, based on its performance relative to the other cities. The individual scores were then combined to calculate the overall index score, with all indicators given equal weighting in the final assessment.

The data was collected in September 2026, while accommodation prices were converted into euros.