The Burj Al Arab, as seen from Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai. Alamy
The Burj Al Arab, as seen from Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai. Alamy
The Burj Al Arab, as seen from Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai. Alamy
The Burj Al Arab, as seen from Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai. Alamy

News

Dubai's Al Sufouh Beach named world's second-most eye-catching coastline

Eye-tracking technology was used to determine a list of 10 top spots

Katy Gillett
Katy Gillett

December 20, 2021

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Dubai's Al Sufouh Beach has been named the second-most eye-catching beach in the world, as part of new research by luxury travel company Kuoni.

Niyama Private Island Beach in the Maldives took the top spot, closely followed by Al Sufouh Beach, also referred to as Secret Beach or Black Palace Beach.

"Dubbed as one of Dubai's hidden gems, this beach is a must-visit for those looking for fantastic views across the water as well as a glimpse of some of Dubai's most impressive buildings, the perfect spot for taking in a sunrise or sunset," said the report.

Bai Sao in Vietnam, Cape Drastis in Greece and Pensacola Beach in the US rounded out the top five, with spots from the UK, Hawaii, Italy, Thailand and the Philippines also making the top 10.

  • 1. Niyama Private Island Beach, The Maldives is the top most eye-catching beach, according to a study by luxury travel company Kuoni. All photos: Kuoni
    1. Niyama Private Island Beach, The Maldives is the top most eye-catching beach, according to a study by luxury travel company Kuoni. All photos: Kuoni
  • 2. Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai, UAE.
    2. Al Sufouh public beach in Dubai, UAE.
  • 3. Idyllic Bai Sao beach, which means white sand, in the popular Phu Quoc island in the Gulf of Thailand in south Vietnam.
    3. Idyllic Bai Sao beach, which means white sand, in the popular Phu Quoc island in the Gulf of Thailand in south Vietnam.
  • 4. Cape Drastis at Corfu island in Greece.
    4. Cape Drastis at Corfu island in Greece.
  • 5. View of Pensacola Beach with the fishing pier in the far distance in Florida, US.
    5. View of Pensacola Beach with the fishing pier in the far distance in Florida, US.
  • 6. Early morning views of the shore line and beach near to Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, UK.
    6. Early morning views of the shore line and beach near to Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, UK.
  • 7. Beautiful coastline of Numana, Province of Ancona, Italy, surrounded by high massive white limestone rocky cliffs eroded by Adriatic sea waves and wind.
    7. Beautiful coastline of Numana, Province of Ancona, Italy, surrounded by high massive white limestone rocky cliffs eroded by Adriatic sea waves and wind.
  • 8. Thai traditional wooden longtail boat and beautiful sand at Railay Beach in Krabi province, Thailand.
    8. Thai traditional wooden longtail boat and beautiful sand at Railay Beach in Krabi province, Thailand.
  • 9. Famous Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, US.
    9. Famous Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, US.
  • 10. Tropical white sand beach with coconut trees and turquoise waters on Boracay island, the Philippines.
    10. Tropical white sand beach with coconut trees and turquoise waters on Boracay island, the Philippines.

The study used eye-tracking technology to reveal where the world's most beautiful beaches were. To determine the rankings, a total of 61 destinations and beaches from around the globe were compiled using desk research, then a sample of 36 people were shown a series of images of different spots.

The eye-tracking software calculated the total number of times people looked at different destinations, and the average number of times someone looked at one area was recorded, alongside viewing durations.

The top 10 most eye-catching beaches around the world:

1. Niyama Private Island Beach, the Maldives

2. Al Sufouh Beach, Dubai, UAE

3. Bai Sao, Phu Quoc, Vietnam

4. Cape Drastis, Corfu, Greece

5. Pensacola Beach, Florida, US

6. Bamburgh Beach, Northumberland, UK

7. Numana Alta Beach, Italy

8. Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

9. Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, US

10. Boracay White Beach, Philippines

The top 15 most eye-catching natural wonders

Through the same study, Kuoni also determined the world's most eye-catching natural wonders; landmarks forged by nature that the human eye is most drawn to.

A series of 50 images were gathered, and eye movements tracked, to compile a ranking of 15 spots.

Peyto Lake in Canada was crowned the most beautiful natural landmark, followed by Meeru Island in the Maldives and the Jurassic Coast in the UK.

Five of the top 15 hailed from North America, including Yosemite, El Yunque National Forest and the Grand Canyon.

Water-based natural wonders dominated the list, with lakes, caves and waterfalls among the winners.

A second spot from the Philippines – Puerto Princesa Underground River – made this list, too.

  • 1. Peyto Lake in Banff National Park, Canada, is the world's most eye-catching destination, according to a new study by luxury travel company Kuoni. All photos: Kuoni
    1. Peyto Lake in Banff National Park, Canada, is the world's most eye-catching destination, according to a new study by luxury travel company Kuoni. All photos: Kuoni
  • 2. Meeru Island, Maldives.
    2. Meeru Island, Maldives.
  • 3. Jurassic Coast, UK.
    3. Jurassic Coast, UK.
  • 4. Yosemite National Park, US.
    4. Yosemite National Park, US.
  • 5. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
    5. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
  • 6. Niagara Falls, Canada.
    6. Niagara Falls, Canada.
  • 7. Snowdon, Wales, UK.
    7. Snowdon, Wales, UK.
  • 8. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan, Philippines.
    8. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan, Philippines.
  • 9. Marble Caves, Chile.
    9. Marble Caves, Chile.
  • 10. El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico.
    10. El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico.

1. Peyto Lake, Canada

2. Meeru Island, Maldives

3. Jurassic Coast, UK

4. Yosemite, US

5. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

6. Niagara Falls, Canada/US

7. Snowdon, Wales, UK

8. Puerto Princesa Underground River, Philippines

9. Marble Caves, Chile

10. El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico

11. Aurora Borealis, Iceland

12. Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

13. Lake Matheson, New Zealand

14. Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

15. Grand Canyon, US

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UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer

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Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.

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Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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