Middle-Eastern Holidays

The emirate of Dubai, the most populous of the seven cities that comprise the United Arab Emirates, is synonymous with shopping, incredible buildings, and most recently, sport. Over the last twenty years or so Dubai has turned itself from an economy with a great reliance on oil revenues, to one that thrives on the profits produced by one of the most popular tourist trades in the world.

Unfortunately, the world recession has hit Dubai hard, but the emirate remains a brilliant place to visit. Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest transport hubs in the world and one of the most modern airports, and it is possible to get cheap flights to the emirate from just about every major city in the world.

As a tourist location Dubai is famous for its shopping and is widely known as the shopping capital of the Middle-East. There are numerous shopping centres found in the city, offering wares from just about every retail chain in the world, but as a tourist one of the major places to visit are the souk districts.

Historically dhows from the Far East, China, the Indian subcontinent and other locations around the Gulf discharged their cargo in Dubai and bargained with local traders across the souks. These districts still retain much of their traditional flavour, and bargaining and haggling are considered the normal way of conducting a transaction.

Dubai also has a rich cultural history, although this tends to take a back seat compared to the busy attractions of the city. The area around the souks is generally considered to be the old district and carries a flavour of life in Dubai before the modern era.

Of course, Dubai also boasts some of the most remarkable buildings in the world, including the world’s only seven star hotel and the Burj Dubai, the tallest manmade construction on the planet and visible from most parts of the Emirate. If you are flying out to Dubai it is definitely taking some time to look at the amazing architecture.

No discussion of Dubai can be complete without mentioning the waterfront. The Dubai Waterfront Project is an astonishing architectural and landscaping feat that has shaped a portion of the coastline into an enormous palm tree. Dubai’s beaches are kept in immaculate condition, and are undoubtedly some of the best in the world.

A holiday in Dubai is unlike anywhere else in the world. The emirate is undeniably an expensive place to visit, but with its incredible architecture, and countless shows, shopping and sport on display it is a great place to go. The New York Times even described it as one of the world’s partying centres in 2008, though most of the pubs and clubs are inside the amazing hotels. If you are thinking about a luxury holiday, take a look at DialAFlight.com for some great deals.

Flights to Dubai are available at DialAFlight.com starting at £199 from Heathrow.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2009 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Travel Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.