City of Merchants

Dubai is the second largest – and probably best known – of the seven Emirates that make up the UAE on the sun drenched Arabian Peninsula. In the entire Gulf, there is no place quite like Dubai. Originally a small fishing settlement, it grew into a busy port, clustered around the mouth of a creek on the ancient trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. It was then rapidly transformed into an international commercial centre and modern tourist destination, following the discovery of oil in 1966.

Today Dubai City ranks as one of the most important and vibrant cities in the Middle East. It has become increasingly popular as a tourism hotspot through the constant upgrade of its infrastructure and now incorporates all of the amenities needed for a progressive society, including world-class shopping plazas and outstanding recreational facilities ranging from golf and watersports to desert safaris and dhow cruises. As an open port with low import duties, Dubai offers a plethora of top brands at some of the world’s best prices. Visitors are drawn to the malls, souks, boutiques and modern department stores, which sell everything from Paris fashions to Japanese electronics. The annual Shopping Festival attracts millions of tourists to the city for a major shopping excursion.

Additionally, as the sports capital of the Middle East, Dubai boasts four championship golf courses; it is a regular fixture on the European and Asian PGA circuits and hosts the Dubai World Cup – known as the world’s richest horse race!

Dubai’s attraction lies in the contrast between the ultra modern hi-tech Arabia and an enchantingly way of life that is still embedded in the Islamic traditions of an ancient land. The streets are clean and futuristic skyscrapers dominate the city landscape, yet timeless deserts, rugged mountains, blues seas and fine sandy beaches give the city a personality like no other. Visitors can enjoy a wide variety of sightseeing activities from camel races and belly-dancing under the starlit desert skies to avant-garde architecture and an endless array of restaurants and nightspots.

One of the safest cities in the world, Dubai rates highly with businessmen and the international jet set and has more than enough depth to satisfy even the most seasoned of travellers. Its liberal nature, coupled with year-round sunshine has turned the Emirate into a popular tourist destination as well as an essential place to conduct business.