Last night, Tiqets announced the 7 Global Winners for the 7th annual Remarkable Venue Awards, which celebrates the best museums, attractions, and experiences in eight countries around the world. The UAE’s Terra – Expo City Dubai was awarded Most Innovative Venue, alongside other global winners including Tulip Experience Amsterdam (Best Hidden Gem), Zoomarine Algarve (Best Family Experience), Gaudí’s El Capricho (Best Landmark), Museu Nacional do Azulejo (Best Museum), Gondola Ride with Commentary (Best Activity), and Spiritus Lightshow at Igreja dos Clérigos (Most Remarkable Venue).
Marjan Faraidooni, Chief of Education and Culture, Expo City Dubai, said: “Terra is more than a venue, more than a museum – it is the beating heart of Expo City Dubai’s sustainable journey. A living laboratory of best-in-class sustainable architecture and the home of thought-provoking exhibitions, green education programming, and events, its mission –inside and out– is to put the planet at the forefront of everyone’s thinking through igniting inspiration and action.
“We are extremely honored to receive this global recognition from Tiqets and hope the award will encourage more visitors –schoolchildren, entrepreneurs, businesses, and decision-makers– to experience Terra for themselves, to be part of it, to be empowered to make sustainable changes to their own lives and to be inspired to drive climate action.”
56 Regional Remarkable Venue Award Winners, selected based on over 1.6 million visitor reviews on Tiqets.com, including seven UAE venues, competed for the global titles. With a significant increase in consumer votes this year, the global winners were determined by more than 50,000 votes cast between 18 September and 3 October.
This year’s regional UAE winners were:
● Most Remarkable Venue
○ Global Village Dubai
● Best Museum
○ Louvre Abu Dhabi
● Best Family Experience
○ Aquaventure Waterpark
● Best Landmark
○ Burj Al Arab
● Best Activity
○ Morning Desert Safari: Camel Ride, Sandboarding & Arabic Coffee & Dates (by OceanAir Travel & Tourism LLC)
● Most Innovative Venue
○ Terra – Expo City Dubai
● Best Hidden Gem
○ The View at the Palm
Speaking on the UAE’s first Global award, Ankur Thakuria, Tiqets’ Regional Director in the Middle East and APAC expressed, “This marked the second edition of Tiqets’ RVAs to include the UAE market, and we’re thrilled to witness Expo City claiming a prestigious Global title. It vividly highlights the venue’s extraordinary appeal and underscores the immense tourist interest in this market. We’re delighted to witness the sustained growth in sales for our valued venue partners.”
Marc Mekki, a dynamic authority in the areas of innovation, digital transformation, and agile leadership, presented a keynote presentation at the awards event when the winners were unveiled. In his speech titled “Artificial Intelligence: The End of The Beginning,” Mekki focused on exploring the ways in which artificial intelligence can be harnessed to enhance the visitor experiences anticipated in the near future.
The full list of regional winners, and more information about the Remarkable Venue Awards, can be found here.
More about the Remarkable Venue Awards
The Tiqets Remarkable Venue Awards were established to recognise and celebrate the best museums, attractions, and experiences in the most-visited countries around the world. The first Remarkable Venue Awards ceremony was hosted in Paris in 2017, and since then, the awards have recognised museums and attractions in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates. This year’s event was hosted at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville on October 18, 2023.
The selection of the winning venues in the Best Museum, Best Family Experience, Most Remarkable Venue, Best Activity, and Best Landmark categories is based on 1.6M+ customer reviews of venues and experiences on Tiqets.com. The Best Hidden Gem and Most Innovative Venue categories were assessed by a panel of industry judges.