Dubai named safest cruise destination in the world in global travel insurance study

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is the safest destination for a cruise ship stopover, according to a new study by travel insurance company InsureMyTrip.

The premier cruise destination in the Middle East came in first place thanks to its low crime index, highly rated hospitals, and its comparatively low number of cruise-related accidents or incidents.

Just two safety-related incidents involving cruise ships were recorded between December 2023 and November 2024, according to the study, despite the arrival of more than 150 cruise calls and cruise tourism numbers of almost one million.

“Safety is a big concern for travelers , especially cruisers visiting different destinations on the same trip,” said Sara Boisvert, Director of Marketing, InsureMyTrip. “With so much going into planning a cruise, the hope is this study can be an important and easy reference to save travelers time and stress.”

The study analysed 52 cruise destinations around the world, and rated their safety based on various factors, including cruise ship accidents and incidents recorded by Cruisemapper.com, country crime index, and quality of local hospitals.

Phuket, Thailand, which ranked as the second-safest cruise destination, also saw only two safety-related cruise ship incidents, but it had a slightly higher crime rate than Dubai and its hospital do not rank as highly.

According to InsureMyTrip’s review of Cruisemapper.com data, 174 safety-related incidents involving cruise ships were reported December 2023 to November 2024 at the 52 cruise destinations in the study. 

Passenger or crew deaths accounted for the largest percentage (19.5%) of the incidents. Coast Guard medevacs represented 17.8% of the incidents, while structural and technical issues accounted for 14.4% and crew or passenger crimes for 9.2%.

The InsureMyTrip study concluded that the third-safest cruise port location is Roatán Island, Honduras, while Funchal, Portugal ranks as the fourth-safest cruise stopover, and Cartagena, Columbia is fifth. 

Belize City, on the Central American island of Belize, a notoriously dangerous cruise call, scored the lowest in the InsureMyTrip study. Ten safety-related cruise ship incidents were recorded there, and the city has a high crime index and low-rated hospitals.

The United Arab Emirates as a whole consistently ranks as one of the safest countries in the world for tourists and residents, while Dubai and its fellow UAE cruise port Abu Dhabi have been ranked as one of the safest cities in the world in numerous studies and indexes.