What to do
Dubai's major landmark is the Burj al Arab hotel, the sail-shaped structure that claims to be the world's first 'seven star' hotel, but this will soon be eclipsed by what is promised to be the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai.
Dubai is also home to one of the world's largest shopping malls – the Mall of the Emirates – which contains 350 shops and an indoor ski-slope housed under a glass dome. This too will be thoroughly eclipsed by 2008 when the Dubai Mall – expected to be the world's largest with more than 1000 shops - is expected to be completed.
Dubailand: a leisure and entertainment zone originally planned to be around the size of Singapore (i.e. about 25 miles wide), although recent revisions have scaled down the plans somewhat. Nevertheless, this will contain full-size replicas of the Pyramids and the Eiffel Tower, a big wheel larger than the London Eye, a dinosaur park with 100 mobile model dinosaurs, another indoor ski slope and a planetarium.
Sport has also been central to Dubai's efforts to attract expatriates and tourists. The government has encouraged major tennis and golf tournaments to be held in Dubai, including European and Asian PGA Golf tournaments and the Dubai Tennis Open, which attract the likes of Tiger Woods and Roger Federer respectively, and Dubai is also host to horse-racing's richest meeting, the Dubai World Cup. Camel racing is also popular.
Dubai is home to the International Cricket Council, which is aiming to set up its Global Cricket Academy in Dubai by 2007. The same year should also see the completion of the Dubai Sports City, a state-of-the-art sports complex with facilities for all major sports and four main stadiums for cricket, football, rugby, athletics and hockey. This will also host the first non-European Manchester United soccer school, a championship golf course designed by Ernie Els and a tennis academy.
For those that prefer to do than watch, Dubai has ample golf courses, tennis facilities as well as good watersports and diving facilities. It also provides some more unique leisure activities, such as camel trekking, sand skiing and sand buggy racing while for the less energetic, there is always the beach.
Finally, Dubai may be an Islamic country, but for expatriates at least it is far from “dry”, with most hotels being home to bars, cocktail lounges and nightclubs, and the popular dinner cruises along the Dubai Creek serve alcohol. Foreigners can also purchase alcohol for consumption at home from 'authorised' shops.
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