British holidaymakers have ranked Dubai alongside Mexico, South Africa and Jamaica as the countries they feel the least safe in, a poll by a UK-based online travel agency has found.
The emirate, which welcomes an estimated one million British visitors each year, came fifth in a survey which asked travellers which destinations they felt most at risk in.
Mexico took the top spot in the survey, followed by South Africa and Bulgaria. Jamaica and Dubai took the fourth and fifth spots, said data from sunshine.co.uk.
Chris Brown, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, said there was a stigma attached to the emirate that may dissuade British tourists from visiting.
“There’s a stigma attached to certain destinations which put tourists off going there, particularly with the likes of South Africa and Dubai,” he said in a statement.” Britons obviously feel more at ease when holidaying in countries that are a little closer to home.”
Dubai has received high-profile coverage in the British press in recent years, following a spate of arrests relating to crimes such as the illegal consumption of alcohol and culturally inappropriate behaviour.
The British Embassy said in 2009 that Brits were more likely to be arrested in the UAE than anywhere else in the world.
Key concerns were drink and drug offences, the Embassy said.
The survey polled 2,916 people aged 21 and over and asked them to rate destinations they had visited in the last three years based on how secure they felt during their trip.
The safest destinations were Spain, France, Cyprus and New Zealand, with Denmark taking the fifth slot in the rankings.
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