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Dubai Offers Visitors A Fascinating World Of Delights

By Habeeb Salloum

A distinctive blend of a modern city and timeless desert, blending East and West, Dubai literally stuns a traveler with its fascinating kaleidoscope of color and contrasts. A leading centre of business and tourism in the Middle East, this economic heart of the United Arab Emirates offers visitors the exotic past wrapped in a modern package of fashionable malls, glass skyscrapers and multi-lane highways. As well, it has become the distribution center of modern technology in the Middle East and beyond.

Combining a 21st century aura with the unique charm, mystery and hospitality of traditional Arabia, Dubai's more than 1,100,000 inhabitants, a mixture of almost every nationality under the sun, live in a dynamic and expanding ultra-modern urban center, defusing an air of oriental splendor. This eastern lure plus its tourist facilities, oozing with modern comfort and conveniences, have made it a mecca for an ever-increasing number of vacationers from the four corners of the world. 

For business or pleasure, the city presents an exciting world of activity and delight like the superb sport and other recreation facilities from golf to water sports, ice-rinks, desert safaris, dhow cruises and beaches - clean, safe and un-crowded, await the often surprised traveler.  When one tires of the new, there are the recreated Heritage and Diving Villages along with an excellent world-class museum and renovated old homes, topped by wind towers - ancient symbols of the UAE. Crowning it all is the arctic snow and winter sports, which is soon to be experienced at ‘Dubai Sunny Mountain Ski Dome’.  This huge ‘ski dome’, towering on the Dubai’s skyline will open to the skiing public in 2006. 

And this is not all. Dubai is one of the world's foremost shopping centers. Whether it be, the glittering shopping malls, stocked with top designer clothes, or the exotic old souks, browsing is a pleasure. Over the past decade, the city annually emphasizes its trading attributes by hosting its ‘Dubai Shopping Festival’.  In 2004, it was held from the 15th of January to the 15th of February under the slogan ‘One Family, One World, One Festival’.  One of the greatest extravaganzas of its kind in the world, it has attracted during the past few years an annual count of some 2.7 million visitors, spending some $2 billion.

The Festival is a colorful marketplace of shopping opportunities, cultural activities, and great entertainment. For a whole month, hotel rack rates usually drop by half and reductions are offered across a vast range of products, from jewellery to fashion wear, electrical goods and carpets. Increasing its appeal world-wide, the Festival, for the whole month, is enlivened with international theatre and street performances, fashion shows, nightly fireworks and laser shows, film festivals, children's events, handicraft shows and outstanding draws - with prizes such as Rolls Royces, weekly Grand Raffles and gold.

Dotted amid Dubai’s attractive shopping outlets are a good number of lush-green parks and, on the outskirts, newly greenified areas. The city also offers world-class hotels featuring nightlife, and fine eating places, presenting the foods of the world. Many visitors in their wildest dreams will not visualize that, only a few decades ago, this bustling 21st century city which has so much to offer was only an adobe town surrounded by endless desert. 

For tourists, enjoying the many charms that the city has to offer, poses no problem.  Dubai, in fact the whole of the UAE, is very safe, English is spoken everywhere and well-organized tour operators offer excursions, enabling visitors to savor Dubai's charms in a relaxed and comfortable manner.

At the top of these tours, offered to all parts of the UAE, are the popular desert safaris.  Almost every traveler to this country takes at least one trip to the desert for a taste of romantic Arabia. Camel riding, dune driving, wadi bashing and desert feasts under the stars while being entertained, are some of the tours offered to tourists for relishing in comfort the majesty and magic of the sands.

More appealing to some are the various Dubai Creek Tours offered by traditional wooden Arab dhows.  By day, most of the city's major landmarks can be appreciated as the dhow slowly glides on both sides of the Creek, which divides the old town from the new. At night, visitors can relax and enjoy the city's colorful lights as they sip a cool drink, followed by a gourmet meal, enlivened by the music and singing of the East.

For those who are looking for sport activities, besides having available every water sport under the sun, tour operators can make arrangements for playing at one of the three attractive world-class golf clubs or attending horse racing at one of two of Dubai’s racecourses. For something exotic, camel racing held in the nearby desert tracks or, at times, donkey racing held in the nearby Emirate of Ajman, are on the agenda. 

These activities have annually lured more and more visitors. Tourism has become more important than oil as a generator of the GDP.  The industry is expected to generate economic activity amounting to Dh63.2 billion during the year 2004. To accommodate the ongoing increase in visitors, hotels are being built in the city at a dizzying pace. At present the city is home to 403 hotels and apartment hotels, with one to seven star ratings and there are plans to build a luxury underwater hotel.  In 2003, these hotels welcomed some six million guests.  Dubai's tourist sector plans to attract 15 million visitors by 2010 and 40 million by 2015.

In the past few years, Dubai's allurements have even made their mark in global tourism.  During the past half a dozen years, among others, The World Travel Association named Dubai as the ‘Best Middle East Destination’ and the German travel magazine, Globo, voted the whole of the UAE as the ‘safest and best travel destination in the world’.

According to one of my UAE guides, Dubai’s many attributes have led to a saying ‘If Aladdin of Arabian Nights fame had rubbed his lamp, he could not have produced a more perfect Arabian magical jewel’.  

IF YOU GO

Facts About Dubai:

1) Dubai has good connections with the rest of the world.  Some 105 airlines operate from the city to almost 145 destinations worldwide. The airport has been expanded and has become one of the world’s inter-continental transit centres, processing some 20 million passengers, which by 2010 are expected to reach 60 million.

2) Most European, American and Canadian citizens can enter the UAE by obtaining their visas at the entry points.

3) Autos rent at a reasonable price. A small auto, fully insured, costs about $300. per week  - less if you bargain. Roads are excellent, but beware of two legged tigers driving autos.

4) The U.S. dollar is equal to 3.67 UAE dirhams. The rate has remained the same for over two decades.  Exchange cash or traveller cheques at the money exchangers - they do not take commission.

5) Major international hotel chains are well represented in Dubai. However, there are other very reasonably priced and excellent abodes to be found throughout the city.

6) In peoples’ eating place one can dine for as low as $4., but the average cost of meal in good restaurants and hotels runs from $20.to $50. For luxury dining try the Al-Boom Tourist Village with its series of restaurants - some located on dhows.  It specializes in Gulf dishes and all types of seafood.

7) Planned for the future and already being worked on are: Two of the worlds largest man-made islands shaped like palm trees. 120 km (75 mi) of land will be reclaimed from the sea.  Besides the Great Wall of China, it will be the only creation by man that can be seen from outer space; Dubai Festival City - a huge dining, shopping, entertainment and convention complex; Madinat Jumeirah - a city-resort which will offer the ultimate Arabian experience; and Dubai Marina - a city within a city, able to accommodate up to 150,000.

Some of the Important Sites to See in Dubai:    

Dubai Museum - a historical museum, housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, once guarding the city.

Bayt Al Wakeel - Dubai’s first office building, which has been completely restored

Wonderland, opened in 1996, it is full of entertainment and attractions.             

Dubai World Trade Centre, one can enjoy a fine view of the city from its top.

Dubai Zoo, housing many indigenous Arabian species of animals and birds.

Emirate Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and Golf and Racing Club, three world-class golf courses.

Note:    All prices quoted are in U.S. dollars.

For Further Information, Contact:

Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, website: http://dubaitourism.co.ae  E-Mail: info@dubaitourism.co.ae

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