Dubai is ranked the number destination for family vacations

Many travelers are planning family vacations in 2022.  A recent study reports that almost nine out of ten parents expect to travel with their children this year. Family vacations are unique in that they appeal to all ages and usually revolve around locations with favorable weather. Travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip has examined relevant travel data for key family vacation categories to rank cities from most to least suitable as potential destinations for family vacations. These categories include quality of family hotels, quality of nearby beaches, quality of family attractions, sea temperature, wave height, strength of ocean currents and overall area safety. Of the 62 cities analyzed, Dubai, UAE (7.42) ranks first overall, with Colombo, Sri Lanka (6.71), Turks & Caicos (6.48), Barbados (6.37) and Corfu, Greece (6.27) completing the top five global cities. 

Top 10 best destinations for family vacations - City Country Overall score

1 Dubai UAE 7.42

2 Colombo Sri Lanka 6.71

3 Turks & Caicos Turks & Caicos 6.48

4 Barbados Barbados 6.37

5 Corfu Greece 6.27

6 Faro Portugal 6.12

7 Phuket Thailand 6.01

8 Auckland New Zealand 5.98

9 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 5.98

10 Havana Cuba 5.93

Dubai, UAE is dubbed the best family destination overall, scoring 7.42 of a possible 10 points. It received high scores in five out of seven categories, including area safety (10), quality of family attractions (10), weak ocean current (9.75) and sea temperature (7.7). 

Dubai is fast becoming a family-friendly wonderland, offering access to a variety of theme parks. It’s deemed one of the safest cities in the world and is becoming a more affordable destination for families, offering all-inclusive resorts with an array of activities.

It was also recently voted the Best Global Destination thanks to the city’s innovative strategy to not only stay open during the pandemic but to do so in a monumentally safe and accessible manner.  

Dubai is also a popular family hotspot as it has some of the most pristine beaches in the world, with The Blue Flag Scheme recognizing them for their excellent water quality and clean, sandy shores.

Colombo, Sri Lanka – in second place (6.71) – receives high scores for sea temperature (9.92), weak ocean current (8.61) and quality of family attractions (6.9). 

This may not come as a surprise to its residents as recently, Sri Lanka was voted one of the best countries in the world to travel to. Praised for its unique mix of sensory delights, it’s a must-visit for those who want to be inspired and awed. 

It misses out on the top spot due to low-quality beaches (3.91) and quality family hotels (5.72).

Turks and Caicos (6.48) complete the top three destinations for family vacations due to their weak ocean currents (8.86), sea temperature (8.43) and the quality of nearby beaches (8.41). 

This isn’t the first time Turks and Caicos’ beaches were rated highly as Grace Bay Beach is voted the number one beach in the world in 2022. 

At the other end of the scale, Miami, USA (3.54) is ranked the least suitable destination for family vacations. 

It received the lowest score for weak ocean current (0), along with the quality of family hotels (0.69), quality of family attractions (1.36), area safety (4.04) and low wave height (4.91). 

Top 10 Worst destinations for family vacations

City Country Overall Score 

1 Miami USA 3.54

2 Cancun Mexico 3.77

3 Gijon Spain 3.90

4 Shirahama Japan 3.92

5 Sydney Australia 4.03

6 Okinawa Japan 4.10

7 Brighton England 4.15

8 Nice France 4.16

9 Cozumel Mexico 4.19

10 Bermuda 4.20