Dubai tops travel searches for Australians, fuelled by viral chocolate craze
The chocolate is famous for its rich pistachio-tahini filling.
Dubai, known for its resorts and luxury shopping, has been crowned the top trending travel destination for Australians in 2025.
The city claimed the number one spot for 2025 travel searches according to Google search engine.
Dubai is a popular stopover for Aussies on their way to Europe and Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest international airports in the world, welcoming 92.3 million guests in 2024.
Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) data shows the city continues to grow in popularity, with a record 296,000 Australians travelled to Dubai in 2024, six per cent higher than the previous year.
Part of the popularity is no doubt driven by the mouth-watering 'Dubai chocolate' from United Arab Emirates company Fix, which dominated social media last year.
The chocolate, known for its pistachio-tahini filling, does not have a permanent physical store, aside from a pop-up at Dubai Airport earlier this year.
The "Dubai chocolate recipe" also captured global attention, ranking third among the most searched recipes worldwide on Google.
Bali, Phuket, Doha and Auckland rounded out the top five travel destinations on Google search for 2025.
Two Australian locations also made the top ten: Hamilton Island at number seven and Lord Howe Island at number nine.
Other popular domestic picks included Tasmania, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.
In entertainment trends, the wildly popular animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters ranked fourth in searches for games, toys, and entertainment.
Visits from Australians to South Korea rose 11 per cent in the year to August 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The film was also named Netflix's most popular film of all time in August 2025, with more than 236 million views.
Carla Mascarenhas is a journalist with Explore Travel and The Senior. She specialises in deep issues affecting Gen X and beyond, and the latest in travel news. Contact her on carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
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