Dubai: The most popular search queries on Google in UAE have just been revealed and it looks like residents in the country are more interested in cricket and iPhone than anything else.
Google’s latest compilation of the trending topics that people in the UAE were interested in over the past 12 months showed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 and iPhone 8 were the most searched terms by UAE users this year.
The data was generated by looking at an aggregation of trillions of searches or queries that people asked Google this year. The lists were then filtered of spam and repeat queries to build lists that best reflect the spirit of 2017.
“There are many ways to explore the year through the lens of Google Search – from the launch of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, to the Dubai Fitness Challenge, this year’s various results are reflective of what truly captured people’s attention over the year,” said Joyce Baz, head of communications for Google in the Middle East and North Africa.
| Searches | People |
| Indian Premier League 2017 | Logan Paul |
| iPhone 8 | Gal Gadot |
| Dangal | Bhavana |
| Ramadan | Philippe Coutinho |
| Bitcoin | Harvey Weinstein |
| Louvre Abu Dhabi | Shuaib Rashed |
| Despacito | Chester Bennington |
| Diwali | Wafa Al Kilani |
| Fidget Spinner | Jake Paul |
| VAT in the UAE | Floyd Mayweather |
People in this market were more interested in India’s popular sports league and Apple’s latest smartphone than Bitcoin or value-added tax (VAT). IPL is popular with sports fans in India, while Apple enjoys a huge following in the UAE market.
These are just some of the highlights in Google’s Year in Search in 2017 results, which showcase the most trending topics UAE residents have searched for. The latest data also give a look at the people, events, destinations, movies and news that captured the attention of people in UAE.
| Local Events | Sports Events |
| Gitex | India VS Pakistan |
| Dubai Fitness Challenge | India VS England live |
| UAE National Day | Mayweather VS McGregor |
| Sole DXB | US Open 2017 Tennis |
| Dubai Motor Show | Fiba Asia Cup 2017 |
| Dubai Airshow | India VS Bangladesh |
| Justin Bieber Dubai | ICC Champions |
| VIDXB | PAK VS AUS |
| Creamfields Abu Dhabi | India VS South Africa |
| Gulfood | Real Madrid VS Juventus |
For Google queries about people, residents in the UAE were most curious about American YouTuber Logan Paul. Gal Gadot, Bhavana, Philippe Coutinho and Harvey Weinstein also made it to the top five searches in the people category.
For local events, consumer and community-focused events drew a lot of curiosity, with Gitex emerging at the top, followed by Dubai Fitness Challenge in the second place.
| Shows | Films |
| Kapil Show 2017 | Bahubali 2 |
| 13 Reasons Why | Fast and Furious 8 |
| Game of Thrones Season 7 | Wonder Woman |
| Koffee with Karan Season 5 | Beauty and The Beast |
| Ramez Taht Al Ard | Justice League |
| Khams Banat | Raees |
| Zekrayat La Tamoot | Logan |
| Dahaleez Al Zalam | Dunkirk |
| Gharabeeb Sood | Jolly llb 2 |
| Ala Ad El Hal | Half Girlfriend |
When it comes to places to visit, the recently opened Louvre Abu Dhabi took the crown as the most popular, followed by La Mer Dubai, which also just recently opened.
For news stories, Qatar featured heavily in the top search terms, followed by Ali Abdallah Saleh, Hurricane Irma, Jerusalem and Miss World 2017.
Google said the trending queries are the searches that had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2017 as compared to 2016.
| Local Destinations | News |
| Louvre Abu Dhabi | Qatar |
| La Mer Dubai | Ali Abdallah Saleh |
| Roxy CInema Dubai | Hurrican Irma |
| Legoland Dubai | Jerusalem |
| IMG Dubai | Miss World 2017 |
| La Perle Dubai | Oscars 2017 |
| Dubai Safari | North Korea |
| Dubai Parks | Catalonia |
| Dubai Opera | Earthquake in Dubai |
| Global Village | World Cup 2018 |
