Dubai Is Best City For Solo Women Travelers, Per New Study
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is safe and the best city for solo female travelers, a March study said. A human rights group, however, has warned for years that women don't have equal rights in the country, and the U.S. State Department warns that women should be careful walking there alone.
The study was done by travel insurance comparison website InsureMyTrip. It evaluated 62 cities worldwide based on data in eight categories: feeling safe walking alone at night, feeling safe despite gender, gender equality, a global peace and security index, hotel ratings, quality of things to do and average cost per day.
Krakow, Poland ranked as the second-best city for solo women travelers, followed by Madrid, Spain and Munich, Germany. Munich was also cited as the safest of all cities studied.
Hong Kong finished as the worst city for solo women travelers, and Orlando was named second-worst. Delhi, India was cited as the least safe city.
Dubai received high scores for feeling safe walking alone at night, feeling safe despite gender, quality of things to do and TikTok popularity. The city's crime rate is very low, and most of public transport offers a women's-only section, InsureMyTrip said.
The insurance website noted, however, that 'it's essential to research Dubai's laws and strict dress code before visiting, because women must dress modestly when in public areas.' Violating these rules could result in one-month imprisonment and deportation, the website said.
The nonprofit organization Human Rights Watch says the United Arab Emirates has made 'limited reforms,' prohibiting discrimination based on sex and gender and removing a legal obligation for women to obey their husbands. 'However, those reforms fall short from uprooting all forms of discrimination against women, especially male guardianship over women.'
Various travel websites cite Dubai as a safe destination, but the U.S. State Department's website issues warnings to American travelers.
'U.S. citizens, especially women, should take precautions against the possibility of verbal and physical harassment or sexual assault when walking alone, consuming alcohol or riding in a taxi cab,' the State Department says. 'Taxi passengers should avoid sitting in the front seat of a taxicab and should be sensitive that small talk can be misinterpreted as over-friendliness or even a form of propositioning by some taxi drivers.'
At some airports, there are pink-roofed cabs driven by women for the exclusive use of female passengers, the State Department says.
'Some victims of sexual assault have been prosecuted for violating laws against sexual relations outside of marriage,' the State Department notes. 'The law puts a high burden of proof on the victim to demonstrate that sex was not consensual. In cases where the victim has failed to demonstrate so, both parties have been prosecuted, and sometimes sentenced to jail time, followed by deportation.'
Travel insurance company Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection says on its website that Dubai 'is quite safe for tourists,' and 'violent crime directed at tourists is rare.'
The company warns, however, that the United Arab Emirates adheres closely to Sharia law that has 'little tolerance for same-sex relations' and makes 'multiple common actions' illegal. Such actions include 'immodest dress, especially for women, which can include bare arms, low necklines and short shorts.' Penalties, Berkshire Hathaway says, 'can be even more harsh and protections fewer for women and LGBTQ+ travelers.'
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