Today's Edition
YOUSUF SAIFUDDIN (ABU DHABI)
Gen Z travellers have ranked the UAE as the safest country to visit in 2026, according to a new survey by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. The country was also the only one from the Gulf or wider Middle East to appear in the overall top 10 list of safest destinations.
The survey placed the UAE seventh globally for travel safety - a huge leap from 18th the previous year - putting it ahead of Switzerland, Japan, Ireland, Belgium and the UK. The Netherlands claimed the top spot, followed by Iceland, Norway and New Zealand.
Released ahead of the year-end travel season, the report highlighted the UAE's growing appeal among young, safety-conscious travellers, with the country ranked as the safest destination by Gen Z respondents.
"The UAE's persistent travel marketing is paying dividends with the youngest and most travel-happy of all demographic groups," the Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection survey said.
In addition to topping the list for Gen Z respondents, the UAE ranked fourth in the category "Safest Places To Travel – Safety From Violent Crime" and seventh for transportation safety.
The country's overall safety reputation continues to gain global recognition. It is currently home to five of the world's safest cities, according to the Numbeo Safety Index, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.
How Are Countries Ranked?
The travel insurance company determined country safety rankings by surveying a large group of American travellers about where they had visited in the past five years. Only respondents who had travelled to specific countries were allowed to rate those destinations on perceived safety.
These individual ratings were then tallied with other indices and information, including the Global Peace Index, data from Numbeo, and the average of GeoSure Global scores for major cities within each country.
The final list was compiled after calculating a weighted score that reflects each country's overall safety.
