One of the writers for the publication The Points Guy UK came to Kuwait to see if it was one of the most boring tourist destinations in the world. Instead, he found Kuwait interesting even though based on his article he didn’t really venture out much outside the city. Check out his article here.
Thanks K
30 replies on “Is Kuwait the world’s most boring tourist destination?”
the articles like… so brief and he did not see many historical places ..its like i just had a latte.. when to a park… diner .. thats all folks
thats not a bad summary actually lol
Therez alot to do in kuwait, and what matters is how happy and safe we feel in kuwait. We are very happy and things are looking good ahead.
I honestly think Kuwait would benefit a lot from a touristic standpoint if it marketed itself as a “Food Capital” in the Gulf.
I know tons of Dubai-ians who tell me that the the food here is better than Dubai – minus the fancy schmancy Wolfgang Puck/Ramsay restaurants they have over there.
I have a friend who came to Kuwait for a weekend visit and instead of taking them to touristy places, I instead took him to a bunch of my favorite restaurants (Freej, St. Almakan, CHKN, Habesha, Vigonovo) and he had a ball!
I agree! I always tell friends and family to visit Kuwait for the quality of food we get here! I always have a huge food list ready when someone is visiting with so much variety.
Secondly, have you tried eating at the same restaurants in KSA, UAE, Oman, Bahrain?! – NOTHING comes close to Food in Kuwait!
I agree that Kuwait has plenty of options to dine at, plus, the food is always clean and meets safety standards. But honestly, there aren’t enough restaurants that have variety in their menus. I keep seeing the same dishes over and over, which is no surprise really because they cater to the local taste and what sells best. Food is tasty but gets boring quick. And, waaay too many burger places. If Kuwait continues to stay on the right track by introducing new cuisines and concepts like Singapura or MoMozaa, it can work and offer something new to the palate.
The one thing I’d love to have in Kuwait is a sushi restaurant like netsu at the mandarin in Dubai. Japanese food isn’t as all bad in kuwait but I’d love a top tier restaurant that makes its sushi from top quality crab, fresh ground wasabi and basically having everything from scratch. Halal bars could also be beneficial considering how in recent years many new brands are creating non-alcoholic alternatives to standard drinks, a lot of people (especially upper class) don’t go to the bars to get drunk as much as they go for the ambiance.
have u been to white robata?
Yeah, they don’t have fresh wasabi and it’s good but it’s just not too tier. Have you been to netsu? I swear we need a “kuwait list” a list of all the best places to go for coffee, tea, supermarkets, steak ect.
We don’t have fine dining in Kuwait and honestly, we don’t need it.
Hala – we have a myriad of ethnic cuisines in Kuwait that are largely untapped: Filipino (HUGE right now in Kuwait), Korean, Ethiopian, Armenian, Yemeni, Nepali, Bhutanese, North Indian, Central Indian, South Indian, Palestinian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Mexican, Argentinian, Uzbekistani!
We have a lot of fine dining, dar Hamad is one, there is an Italian on (don’t ask me the name) as well as many others by local chefs. I just want a fine dining sushi place.
We definitely don’t have a lot of fine dining that’s for sure. Also, most of the ones you’re talking about (cuz you mentioned local chefs so I’m assuming which restaurants you’re talking about) aren’t fine dining.
But, like I mentioned previously if you want premium Japanese head to White Robata. They use the same fish supplier as the one Zuma uses.
lol that would actually be a decent idea! If only it wasn’t dry here, then i think ppl from all over the world would flock to kuwait just to eat and drink and be merry! no need for more attractions that would be enough I think.
Well for a start, being bored is very subjective
At least he got that Careem app to work, it never allowed me to login…
You just won the internet with that comment!!!!
Kuwait is definitely a place to find food, when I ask my friends from Qatar why they travel to Kuwait they tell me ‘for the food and Avenues’. Have you seen the new Restaurant Guide from Bazaar, they list more than 2000 restaurants in Kuwait with 80 % being Al Shaya brands. I know of restaurants not listed in that guide as well so the real numbers of restaurants seems endless.
Unlike other GCC countries Kuwait doesn’t have a touristic website highlighting places to visit, when I first moved here I thought the ‘Touristic Enterprise’ office was for tourism, nope, it’s just a place to rent chalets.
Falika Island is also a forgotten attraction, not much is there, a couple of hotels and restaurants but if you can find the right guide you can visit the archaeological site which is amazing.
Kuwait needs to advertise their museums and concerts more. Almost every billboard I see is of restaurants and phone companies, and online ads are mostly for delivery apps; It’s like they want you to stay at home! Also, when’s the last time you’ve seen a movie billboard in Kuwait that was in more than one location? Why can’t this country be more lively and have fun for once?
Most boring tourist and living destination for sure
then why are you still here?
“Taxis in Kuwait are clean, cheap and very reliable”
Which taxis did he get? Because I have to spend sometimes AN HOUR rejecting taxis because of how filthy they are! Also, they are almost never cheap because sometimes they charge you KD5 from The Avenues to your home, and cite “traffic” as the reason for the price hike. And I know that the reviewer said he used Careem, but even I didn’t get a good price with Careem either!
After growing up in Kuwait and spending time there as an adult i have now been in Canada for the past 12 years. I visit Kuwait every 3 years and as a fitness professional there is nothing boring about visiting Kuwait.
I tell my Canadian friends that if they want to go on the ultimate Fit-cation thenKuwait is the spot. Go for a month get a memebership at Platinum, Oxygen – workout between those two gyms and their various locations. Do a drop in at CrossFit 965 once or twice a week and then hit the Corniche up for Friday brunch and recovery!
In my off time we ll hit the chalets, swim and go dirt biking. Or switch it up and go out the farms at Kebd. To top it all off its food heaven! might need to start a business and start running Fitcation for bodybuilders! guranteed 30lb gain in 30 days 😀
1- Kuwait is not a bad touristic destination at all.
2- The most important thing to improve is the airport. I am sure things will change with the new airport, but most importantly the service and interaction in airport should improve,
3. There is lots of things in Kuwait that should improve as touristic destinations. Thers is no proper entertainment for kids or theme parks.
4. Touristic Enterprises Company should undergo a huge revamp. They operate ideal and prime locations without any true services.
5. Failaka island has a huge potential..local and ancient history.. remote.. infrastructure already there.. huuuge potential.
6. Wafra and Abdaly have great potential with the couple of farms opening for public there.. laws should be changed to give owners the chance to provide touristic services
7.Food scene: The average level of food in Kuwait is very high..you can get into any restaurant in Kuwait and ensure 95% of the time that you will get at least above average food. This is not a thing you can find anywhere around the world. On the other hand, we don’t have many top of the notch restaurants, that is because I think we don’t have any local fresh produce and local chefs aren’t concentrating on local produce. Another point, we don’t have fine dining in Kuwait, because mainly locals aren’t interested much for it. Fine dining scene will improve only if more tourists and businessmen visit the country.
8- At the end Kuwait is a small country good for couple of days of visit, and there is a huge potential for growth. It is a great seasonal destination from late October to early March. The country should work a lot for improvement.
Point 7 is exactly right!
Many Saudi friends ask me how come we don’t import the big fine dining names (Cipriani, Nobu etc) like they do and I always say that as Kuwaitis we prefer to support local chefs and “concepts”, whereas Saudis are now playing catch up and they simply have larger numbers – whether locals or visiting business people/consultants – to keep these big restaurants busy.
One of the things i like here is that everything opens up till late night. Ive been to places in Europe where even though its beautifull, everythings closed and empty by as early as 6:00 pm. Thats boring
I dont know what the fuss is all about.. not every country in the world needs to angle for more tourists Not every country in the world is topographically blessed with culture and history to attract tourist. I would rather that Kuwait have good infrastructure and facilities for its own residents. If there are people from other countries who would want to come and check that out, that’s their choice. But they have no business calling the country boring..no one has advertised Kuwait to be ‘heaven on earth’ or ‘God’s Own Country’ or ‘The place to be in’ or something fancy like that, for people to come here expecting a super touristy experience
I kind of agree 🙂
Kuwait can hardly be described as a boring place. Not with the likes of the DAI, the Sedu house, the Amricani centre, Kuwait National Museum, the Opera House, The Scientific Centre, Sheikh Abdullah Al salem cultural centre, the Shaheed Park, Sahara Golf & Country club, Ahmadi, the Vintage Car Museum, Souk Mubarakiya and Souk Sharq, the Avenues & 360 and not to forget Al Salam Palace, the Oil exhibition centre in Ahmadi.
‘I can’t wait to return, because I think I’ve discovered a hidden gem that is anything but boring.’
He’s right, isnt he?
Kuwait doesn’t need rampant tourism, just a proper top-to-toe spring clean every now and then.
Oh, and some walkable pavements perhaps…
I have lived here most of my life and i can confirm its the most boring country ever i dont understand why people get butt hurt about it u got nothing to do here other than food & fitness gym and summer is shit in kuwait there is barely any nature here the sea is not clear people are always angry bec of the heat building are all light brown colored and expats are treated badly other than the racism and other shit u have no freedom
its like there is no adventure nothing new to try all leisure facilities are closed. Its a shit show to be honest