With year-round sunshine, intriguing deserts, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels and shopping malls, fascinating heritage attractions and a thriving business community, Dubai receives millions of leisure and business visitors each year from around the world. These visitors can benefit from a range of services and a local infrastructure that help make any trip to Dubai smooth and hassle-free.
Dubai has a warm, sunny climate that is ideal for tourism, with mild temperatures for most of the year and a low rainfall. Summer temperatures in July and August can reach highs of around 45ºC (113ºF) with high humidity, making this the least comfortable time of year to visit in terms of climate. However, Dubai is well geared up for high temperatures, and public transport, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions are all air conditioned.
English is widely spoken in Dubai, and as all restaurant menus, road signs and other information is usually presented in both English and Arabic, visitors who speak English will have no trouble making their way around. Many tour operators and travel professionals will also be able to offer services to French, Russian and German speaking visitors.
The local currency is the dirham, which is pegged to the dollar at Dhs 3.67. Dubai offers a sophisticated network of banks, currency exchanges and ATMs, making it easy to access money across the city.
Dubai is tolerant and cosmopolitan and all visitors are welcome. However, Islam is a way of life in the city, and therefore tourists should adopt a certain level of cultural and religious sensitivity for the duration of their stay. While dress codes are fairly liberal, swim wear should only be worn on beaches or at swimming pools, and when visiting shopping malls and other attractions, tourists should wear clothing that is not too tight or revealing. Certain attractions, such as mosques or religious sites, usually have stricter dress codes, requiring both men and women to cover up bare shoulders, arms and legs, and women to wear headscarves.
Despite being governed by Islamic laws, alcohol is available to tourists in licensed bars and restaurants (these are almost always located inside four and five star hotels), and in airport duty free shops. Drinking in public places (such as beaches) is not permitted, and being drunk and disorderly in public can result in stiff penalties.
The Journey of Dubai and its Ruler
For those who prefer a visual journey of Dubai, here is a link to a seven and a half minute video entitled ‘The Journey’. Released by Dubai Government Media Office, the 3D animation video in either English or Arabic highlights the most important achievements of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, while also drawing parallels with the growth of Dubai.
The video takes viewers back to 1949 to Sheikh Mohammed’s birth and his early childhood and schooling, to his earlier positions as Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security in 1969, as Defence Minister in 1973, to becoming Crown Prince in 1995, to assuming the post of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in 2006.
The video pays special tribute to the economy and development of Dubai, highlighting a series of achievements through which Dubai has created a deeply influential strategy in its rich march of development and modernisation. Among these key achievements are the opening of Port Rashid in 1972, construction of Dubai World Trade Centre in 1978, opening of Jebel Ali Port in 1979, the launch of Emirates Airline in 1985, and the launch of the Dubai Shopping Festival in 1996.It includes major projects such as the launch of the Dubai Quality Award (1994), Dubai Government Excellence Award (1997), the Dubai Internet City (1999), the opening of Burj Al Arab Hotel (1999), as well as the launch of Dubai Media City (2000). The same year witnessed the launch of the eGovernment project, as well as the establishment of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises followed by Dubai Healthcare City (2002).
Navigating between time and place, the work also showcases the launch of the Dubai International Financial Centre - DIFC (2002), the opening of Palm Jumeirah (2008), Dubai Metro (2009), and the opening of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (2010) -- right down to the year 2013, during which Dubai made a range of achievements of great significance, such as the launch of the strategic plan for developing Dubai as the hub for the global Islamic economy, the launch of ‘Dubai Smart Government’ culminating in Dubai winning the bid to host the World Expo in 2020.
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