SHINING in the desert sun, the new 321-metre Burj Al Arab – The Arabian Tower – rises above the skyline, shaped like a billowing sail to reflect Dubai’s maritime heritage.
Many also see this ambitious project as symbolic of one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the Middle East.
Burj Al Arab – the tallest stand-alone hotel in the world – welcomed its first guests last December, at the end of a year that the emirate is claiming was its best ever for tourism.
Conservative estimates put visitors at more than 2.8m, compared with 2.54m in 1998. UKarrivals totalled 220,000, a rise of 15%.
The increase is set to continue, according to Patrick Macdonald, director of UK and Ireland at the Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in London.
“All indications point to strong growth during the next couple of years,” he said. “Today’s British travellers are looking for somewhere different and a little exclusive, but at the same time lively and packed with things to do. Dubai offers this precise combination.”
According to operators, the significant growth in the UK market is being fuelled by the increasing number of flights to Dubai International Airport, which is undergoing a $540m expansion programme, and the opening of a range of luxury resort hotels.
Last year’s openings included the Al Maha desert resort, the Royal Mirage, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and the Burj Al Arab, which joined the established Radisson SAS Jumeirah Beach and Hilton Beach Club.
The new projects have boosted the number of hotel beds in Dubai to more than 25,000. Another 4,500, over 10 properties, are due to be added in the next two years.
Abercrombie and Kent head of planning Stuart Douglass Lee said: “We’ve seen a 50% year-on-year increase in bookings and see this year as a boom year.”
That Dubai has come of age is underlined by a greater take-up by UKoperators – 86, compared with 68 at the time of the 1998 World Travel Market. Most are also expanding their programmes.
Distant Dreams, for example, reports that Dubai has become its best seller for short breaks and has added the five-star Jebel Ali hotel and Burj Al Arab to its brochure.
Somak Holidays also features Burj Al Arab and says the emirate is now its top destination in the Middle East.
Even more significantly, Kuoni has released a dedicated Dubai brochure, concentrating on activities such as dune driving, scuba diving, falconry and sailing, after experiencing more than 30% growth in 1999.
Meanwhile, Goldenjoy and Magic of the Orient are featuring Dubai as a stand-alone destination for the first time; and TCA Holidays has added the Ritz Carlton, Al Maha and Royal Mirage to its portfolio, together with 15 new day tours.
After a 70% hike in sales last year, British Airways Holidays is to offer the Royal Mirage.
Stressing that Dubai has more to offer than sun, sea and sand, newcomers to the highly competitive market this year include Longshot Golf Holidays, which will feature three hotels and rounds at the Dubai Creek and other courses; and Prospect Music and Art Tours, due to launch cultural tours of Dubai in the autumn.
Visitors wishing to explore the rest of the United Arab Emirates are usually restricted to day trips as there are few hotels.
The exception is Abu Dhabi but without a tourism authority, the capital gets little publicity and is only featured by a handful of operators, including Arabian Odyssey, Amathus Holidays, Somak Holidays and Elite Vacations.
However, Elite has expanded in the United Arab Emirates, offering the Kempinski Hotel in Ajman. And as with most companies, Elite is combining westernised Dubai with traditionally Arab Oman, which is now accessible from the emirate without a visa.