Dubai named most beautiful autumnal city in Middle East in new study

The study has ranked use of seasonal Instagram hashtags globally

Dubai, left, has been named the most popular autumnal city in the Middle East, while London, right, comes out second globally and the most popular in Europe. Unsplash

Traditional images of autumnal travel evoke scenes of red, orange and gold leaves, oversized scarves, flannel shirts and, of course, anything pumpkin spiced. Pumpkin-spiced happiness aside, they are far from the reality of autumn in the UAE. But that has not stopped Dubai from being named the most beautiful autumnal city in the Middle East.

A new study by UK's affordable hotel chain Premier Inn reveals the most beautiful autumn cities in the world, according to Instagram.

With 1,606 uses of the hashtag #autumninDubai, Dubai is the most popular autumnal city in the region, according to Instagram use. Abu Dhabi comes in fifth with 89 uses of #autumninAbuDhabi.

10 most popular autumnal cities in the Middle East :

1. Dubai, UAE – 1,606 uses of #autumninDubai
2. Tehran, Iran – 182 uses of #autumninTehran
3. Kuwait, Kuwait – 134 uses of #autumninKuwait
4. Beirut, Lebanon – 96 uses of #autumninBeirut
5. Abu Dhabi, UAE – 89 uses of #autumninAbuDhabi
6. Tel Aviv, Israel – 66 uses of #autumninTelAviv
7. Amman, Jordan – 24 uses of #autumninAmman
8. Doha, Qatar – 21 uses of #autumninDoha
9. Muscat, Oman – 2 uses of #autumninMuscat
10. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 1 use of #autumninRiyadh

The study was not limited to the Middle East. Globally, the number of hashtags for #autumnincity and #fallincity were counted and compared for cities in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East.

Globally, the top 10 most popular cities in autumn include locations in the US, UK, France, Russia, South Korea, Australia, Italy and Germany, proving the list to reflect eclectic global tastes. The three most seasonally popular cities are New York, London and Paris.

10 most popular autumnal cities globally:

1. New York, USA – 151,136 hashtag uses
2. London, UK – 72,863 hashtag uses
3. Paris, France – 66,258 hashtag uses
4. Chicago, US – 25,213 hashtag uses
5. Moscow, Russia – 22,961 hashtag uses
6. Seoul, South Korea – 22,114 hashtag uses
7. Seattle, US – 19,692 hashtag uses
8. Melbourne, Australia – 19,423 hashtag uses
9. Rome, Italy – 17,594 hashtag uses
10. Berlin, Germany – 16,667 hashtag uses

In Africa, Cape Town in South Africa is the most popular location, with 2,017 hashtags and in South America, the title belongs to the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires with 360 hashtags.

“The autumn season is a really nice time of year for a city-break both in the UK and further afield; the rush and crowds of summer have often departed, allowing travellers to enjoy the city-sights under crisp skies, fine-dining and popular urban activities during the quieter season,” the Premier Inn representative said, of the study.

“Instagram is the perfect place for holiday inspiration and whilst it’s nice to dream about long haul adventures, there is still plenty to enjoy and discover in the UK’s cities at this time of year, from cosy pubs to beautiful woodland parks.”