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Lying on the southern shores of the Arabian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates are a dynamic international crossroads between East and West. The thriving economic activity of recent years, together with the long hours of sunshine and sandy beaches, has seen the country develop into one of the region's most popular holiday areas - with an impressive collection of city and resort hotels, modern shopping malls and traditional ‘souks’ offering excellent duty-free purchases (especially of luxury goods), superb golf courses, spectacular desert-and-mountain landscapes, and an increasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere.
With a dry, sub-tropical climate - there's very little annual rainfall - the Emirates are a year-round holiday destination, hot in summer and pleasantly warm in winter. English is widely spoken in the main areas, and although the country's culture is firmly rooted in Islamic tradition, there is a marked tolerance in both Abu Dhabi and, especially, Dubai, towards the different values and lifestyles of the many overseas travellers now increasingly coming to the Emirates.
One of the seven United Arab Emirates that joined together in 1971, Dubai has become a busy modern international centre, its ancient seafaring traditions and Bedouin heritage fast absorbing visitors and influences from around the world. Its rapid growth has seen the arrival of a striking portfolio of major hotels - both in the city itself and on the surrounding coast - whose standards and sophistication are on a par with any the world.
The fascinating souks and excellent shops of Dubai offer endless interest - and many duty-free bargains, especially for luxury goods - for the dedicated shopper, here in a city that is an intriguing mix of old and new, where traditional customs and renovated sheikhs’ palaces survive alongside striking modern-day skyscrapers that look squarely to the future.
Holiday Hotel to Dubai |
