The popularity of Dubai with tourists is soaring, with group trips, shopping excursions and other getaways increasing in popularity.
Travel advisors are continually promoting the emirate as the place to go for glamour, glitz and memorable moments that few other destinations are able to provide.
Travel advisor Franda Graves says that Dubai is an enormous metropolis, the population of which is massively diverse.
Dubai has been compared to New York in terms of its excellent public transportation options such as taxi, Uber and Careem in addition to the superb metro system.
Ivaline Joseph from Ivy League Travel in the US says that everything from beautiful beaches and deserts to hotels can be found in Dubai.
Phyllis Stoler, the owner of New York City’s Women’s Travel Group, says that the ancient, the exotic and the modern can all be found in one relatively small area, making Dubai an ideal destination for either long holidays or even just a brief getaway.
As many as 10.85 million people visited Dubai in the first eight months of this year, an increase from the 10.44 million recorded in the same time period in 2018, the Dubai Department of Tourism says.
Visitors from Western Europe made up around 20% of those, with 6% coming from North America.
Graves says that the ideal visitor to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as a whole is someone who is looking for adventure and fun as well as being open-minded and respectful of different cultures and edicts.
Graves claims that there is something for everyone of all ages and temperaments in Dubai.
The modern skyline of the city, including the 2,700-foot-tall Burj Khalifa tower, is the first thing that most visitors to the emirate notice upon arrival.
The tower became the world’s tallest building 10 years ago back in 2009.
At the base of the tower stands Dubai Fountain, which is almost as famous as the tower itself with its lights and jets synchronised to music in a manner akin to those on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Fountain has become a symbol of the boom in the construction industry in the emirate, which also includes the likes of amusement parks, an indoor ski centre and enormous shopping malls.
The Dubai Mall, which is next to the tower, offers a shopping experience that can last for an entire day, according to Graves.
The mall offers Fashion Avenue’s lavish stores, an underwater zoo, the Dubai Aquarium, a massive ice rink, VR Park and much more.
For those seeking a still luxurious yet more intimate shopping experience, there is the Mall of the Emirates, which plays host to Magic Planet and Sky Dubai.
Graves’ own personal favourite, however, is Ibn Battuta Mall, a more relaxing alternative that is believed to the biggest themed shopping mall in the world.
However, Expo 2020 is expected to outdo them all.
Anyone interested in travelling to Dubai should take out travel insurance in order to ensure financial safety in the event of unexpected occurrences such as cancelled bookings, the loss of personal items or illness.
