More than any other destination, Dubai is synonymous with development. The scale is staggering, with over 100 tourism and leisure related projects worth £35 billion underway in the emirate.
The UK remains the emirate’s biggest market, with 603,376 Brits visiting in the first nine months of 2008 – a year-on-year rise of 9.2 per cent.
And its profile in the UK travel trade will rise even higher with the Festival City development set to host the 2009 ITT Conference.
A major focus at the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is to show there’s more to the destination than flash resort hotels, shopping and dune safaris, with options to suit different tastes, ages, sexes and budgets.
The DTCM’s UK and Ireland director Ian Scott said Dubai’s ability to “diversify, innovate and inspire” is key to its success, along with its positioning as an “affordable luxury” destination.
“The continuous stream of high-profile projects, combined with the emirate’s fabulous year-round climate and convenient geographical location, means Dubai is never short of exciting new attractions and inspirational opportunities for visitors,” Scott added.
Here’s a taste of what’s in the pipeline.
Air
There are currently 20 flights a day to Dubai from UK six regional airports. This will increase yet further with the launch of lowcost carrier flydubai in mid-2009.
Dubai International Airport is being redeveloped to increase its capacity to 70 million passengers a year. Last month Emirates moved into its own terminal, the newly opened Terminal 3, and on December 1 the airline will start flying A380s on its London Heathrow–Dubai route.
In addition, the new Al Maktoum International Airport will be able to handle a further 120 million when built.
Getting around
A massive injection of cash into the infrastructure is supporting the increase in visitor numbers.
A monorail line running down the central trunk of the Palm Jumeirah to Atlantis will open in April 2009, with plans afoot to link up with the Dubai Metro enabling travel to destinations including Dubai Airport.
Meanwhile, a new ferry system is planned and the world’s largest man-made canal, the 75km Arabian Canal will link up many of the major sites and open up Dubai’s interior when it opens around 2013.
Man-made islands
With space at a premium on land, development has moved offshore. The three Palm developments – Jumeirah, Deira and Jebel Ali – are at various stages of construction.
In addition, construction is under way on some of the man-made islands of The World development, which in due course will be surrounded by the even bigger Universe development, while the massive Waterfront City development will arc around the Palm Jebel Ali.
Theme parks and visitor attractions
Dubai is aggressively targeting the family market and aims to topple Florida from its spot as the theme park capital of the world.
Development is centred around the massive Dubailand complex, with offerings from DreamWorks (in mid-2012), Six Flags (mid-2011), and Nickelodeon and Marvel Entertainment (late 2012/2013) on the cards, supported by more than 50 hotels planned for the Bawadi area.
Other future openings include Universal City by Universal Studios (late 2010), which will be one of the world’s largest theme parks, complete with 4,000 luxury hotel rooms, shopping facilities and 100 restaurants.
A three million square foot version of Legoland will open in late 2011, while Anheuser-Busch plans to open four theme parks, including a SeaWorld, and US film studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers are also partnering with local developers
on theme park projects.
Other upcoming attractions include The Great Dubai Wheel, which will enable visitors to see for up to 50 kilometres; The Emirates Planetarium, which will include a 3-D theatre, laser shows, a planetarium, a museum and a hotel; and the Falcon City of Wonders (2009-12), which will feature replicas of the wonders of the ancient and modern worlds.
The emirate’s second Snow Dome will open at Dubailand next year.
Meanwhile, the massive shopping centre Dubai Mall, which opened on November 4 and is equal to the size of 50 football pitches, features the Sega Republic indoor theme park and the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink.
Active
A huge growth area for Dubai is golf. It currently has seven championship courses, following the recent opening of the Ernie Els Club at Dubai Sports City, and 11 more championship courses are slated to open over the next three years, including Tiger Woods’ first golf course at Al Ruwaya, Dubailand (2009).
Dubai Golf City at Dubailand will alone feature five world-class courses – Oasis, Desert, Wadi and Parkland, with a fifth to be revealed next year – while a four-course development at Jumeirah Golf Estates, under construction, will feature courses designed by Greg Norman, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Pete Dye and a golf academy.
Spas
Dubai is flush with spa offerings offering different styles of treatments like the Givenchy Spa at the One&Only, the Taj Ayurvedic Spa at the Taj Palace and the Lime Spa at The Desert Palm.
All eyes are on the first Armani Spa, designed by Giorgio Armani, set to open next year in the Burj Dubai, while the Dubai Lifestyle City and Dubai Healthcare City developments will also feature spas and wellness facilities.
Cruise
Another growing area for Dubai is cruise. Costa has made the emirate its regional hub, serviced by Costa Classica and Victoria, and Royal Caribbean will deploy Brilliance of the Seas there in 2010, running seven-night itineraries from January to April 2010.
New hotels
With new luxury hotels and resorts springing up on an almost daily basis it can be hard to keep up. Here’s some to watch out for.
2008
Notable openings this year have included Desert Palm (March), a luxury boutique property with infinity pool, high-end spa and just 24 modern guest rooms and villas; Atlantis The Palm (September) with over 1,500 rooms, 700-metre beach and Aquaventure water park; the 63-storey, art deco inspired The Address (October) in Downtown Burj Dubai, featuring 196 rooms and suites and luxurious spa; and the 298-room Movenpick Jumeirah (October) in the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex.
2009
The five star Tiara Hotel and Resort will open on The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai in early 2009, featuring 309 rooms and suites, private beach and rooftop spa.
Hotel firm Ecos will open a 234-room budget eco-hotel in Dubailand in early 2009.
Rosewood Dubai, opening late 2009, will feature 154 rooms and 36 suites and a massive 18,000-square-foot spa complex
Tamani Hotels will open a new hotel in the Park Lane Tower in Business Bay next year and has plans for further properties.
The Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa will open on the outer crescent of the famous Palm Jumeirah.
Two more The Address properties are set to open at Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina.
2010
A 40,000 square metre Armani Hotel, featuring an Armani Spa, nightclub and 160 guestrooms and suites, will open Downtown in the Burj Dubai, which will be the world’s tallest tower.
The QE2 will reopen as a floating hotel and conference centre at The Palm Jumeirah.
2011
Fairmont’s Kingdom of Sheba resort on the crescent of Palm Jumeirah will feature 550 rooms and suites, a spa, conference centre, kids’ club and an on-site souk.
2012
Asia-Asia will become the world’s largest hotel with around 6,500 rooms. It will be the centerpiece of Bawadi, in Dubailand, which will be the world’s largest accommodation complex, with over 50 hotels
St Regis will open a luxury property with 220 rooms and suites in the Starhill Towers & Gallery development.
Get the knowledge
Agents can sign up for DTCM’s monthly e-newsletter at Dubaiupdate.co.uk and receive destination training at Dubaiexpert.co.uk which has recently been overhauled to add more specialist training in areas like spa breaks and cruise.
Etiquette
Dubai is a very safe destination, partly due to its strict rules and guidelines. Fall foul of these rules and you could cause offence or end up in jail.
Advise your clients to have a healthy respect for Islamic culture, including:
- Wait for a Muslim man or woman to offer a handshake
- Don’t take photographs of Muslim women without permission
- Dress conservatively. Swimwear is for the beach or the pool – elsewhere men should avoid shorts and bare chests and women should avoid midriff-baring tops, vest tops and short skirts
- Do not point the soles of your feet at another while sitting
- Eat food with your right hand
- During Ramadan, non-Muslims are encouraged to wear more conservative clothing and are required to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking in public from sunrise to sunset
- Avoid overt public displays of affection – especially among same sex couples
Drugs and alcohol
Although drinking alcohol is allowed, the authorities take a very dim view of public displays of drunkenness and lewd behaviour.
Dubai has a zero-tolerance drugs policy and penalties for possession of even miniscule amounts are huge. Even some medicinal drugs like anti-depressants and cough medicines, for example ones containing codeine, are outlawed in Dubai as they are classed as addictive. Check in advance and make sure you take a copy of your prescription.
