Dubai is a shopper’s paradise and a businessperson’s delight – is how most people who travel to Dubai exclaim. A visit to Dubai means spending hours in the sophisticated shopping malls, strolling around in traditional souks (markets), exhilarating in water sports, teeing off in fantastic golf courses, exploring the sand dunes or simply luxuriating in the ultramodern hotels and resorts.
History: A person planning to travel in Dubai or just visit Dubai should be aware of the emirate’s customs and traditions. The ancestors of the Maktoum family, which now rules Dubai, took over the place, a small fishing village, in 1830s. From traditional pursuits like sheep and goat herding, pearl diving, fishing and harvesting dates prevalent at that time, Dubai became a well-known trading center by the turn of the century. Superb business acumen and liberal commercial attitude of the rulers attracted traders from all over the region, who traveled to Dubai and turned the town into a bustling commercial hub.
Dubai was part of the British protectorate, which included various states and cities along the northern coast of the Arabian Peninsula until 1971. After the British withdrawal, Dubai came together with six other cities - Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, Ajman, and Ras Al Khaimah – to form the federation of United Arab Emirates.
Oil, discovered in 1966, changed the place from a busy commercial town to today’s ultra modern city of luxury and comfort, which a visit to Dubai reveals. Export of oil began in 1969, which heralded rapid infrastructural growth. The credit for the modern Dubai goes to the former ruler, late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who ensured that the profit from oil went towards development of the city. Traveling in Dubai a visitor can see his futuristic vision for the city carried forward by the current ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
UAE: The United Arab Emirates became a United Nations member in 1971 with its capital city of Abu Dhabi. The UAE supports the non-aligned movement while it is also committed to Arab unity. Dubai, with an area of 3885 square kms, is the second largest of the emirates and the most important port and commercial centre. One can see the two major areas of the city while visiting Dubai creek – Deira district to the north and Bur Dubai to the south.
To travel in Dubai, a tourist or a businessperson should be aware of the traditional Arab-Islamic culture that co-exists alongside the ultra modern 21st century city. The federal authority of UAE is the Supreme Council, which comprises the hereditary rulers of all the seven emirates. Other than matters of diplomacy and defense, Dubai and the other emirates enjoy autonomy in management of commercial and other trade activities.
Language: English is the language of commerce though Arabic is the official language. Awesome infrastructure, abundant opulence as well as a congenial environment makes a visit to Dubai a pleasurable experience. Owing to the influx of traders from various countries, there is no dearth of flavors of different cultures including cuisines in the emirate. State-of-art facilities, opulent and comfortable surroundings, competent and extremely efficient hosts in the hospitality industry are now drawing the rich and famous from all over the world to travel to Dubai just to relax and unwind.
Travel: Different means of travel in Dubai include taxis, buses of Dubai Public Transport or hiring cars from the innumerable rent-a-cars. A visit to Dubai should include boat rides (called abra, a small ferry) from Deira to Bur Dubai across the creek. A Metro Rail System is also under construction to add six metro lines crisscrossing Dubai, for better travel in Dubai.
Attractions: A tourist on a visit to Dubai has many exciting places to choose from – traditional buildings of old Dubai like the Al Ahmadiya School built in the early part of the 20th century, Dubai museum, Bastakiya and Shindagha districts and Jumeirah Mosque etc. However most tourists travel to Dubai not only to experience the old charms but also to indulge in the wanton extravagance of state-of-art structures, and most importantly, what they offer.
Iconic structures: A visit to Dubai simply cannot be complete without have a look-see at some of the magnificent modern construction marvels. Among the iconic structures that dominate the skyline of modern Dubai is the most expensive Burj Al-Arab Hotel, resembling the sail of a boat. Traveling in Dubai a tourist cannot miss the tallest hotel in the world, built on an artificial island.
A visit to Dubai also must include the Burj Dubai, destined to become the world’s tallest structure, which is still growing and expected to be complete soon at a dizzying height of 800 meters. Another major not to miss while visiting Dubai will be the ambitious Palm Islands project, the three largest artificial islands in the world. Construction is underway for the first of the islands – Palm Jumeirah - shaped like a palm tree, which can accommodate more than 250,000 people in hotels, upscale residences, beachfront homes, marinas, luxury condominiums etc.
Shopping: Most avid shoppers travel to Dubai during the annual Dubai Shopping Festival and the Dubai Summer Surprises. Besides these hot favorite events among Dubai regulars, tourists flock to the immense and stupendous shopping malls that draw people all round the year. Some of the major shopping malls include Deira City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates, and Ibn Buttuta Mall. Intrepid shoppers also include the traditional souks (markets) selling spices, gold etc while visiting Dubai.
Fun and activities: Warm ocean waters offer endless water sport opportunities for the adventurous, besides water amusement parks like Wild Wadi etc. A visit to Dubai is not complete without the desert safari or dune bashing where you ride up and down the rolling sand dunes in an SUV. Some shopping malls offer skiing and snowboarding facilities. Golfing and sailing in Hot Air Balloons over the sand dunes are also popular. People also travel to Dubai for the famous Dubai Film Festival.