Villabookersonline.com

vacation homes • holiday villas • apartments • condos

My Holiday Rentals Customer Login

Dubai Overview

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the Persian Gulf. Its emirate's main city, sometimes called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate.

Dubai is the most populous and second largest emirate of the UAE after Abu Dhabi. Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE in that revenues from oil account for only 6% of its gross domestic product. A majority of the emirate's revenues are from tourism.

Dubai has become world famous place through innovative real estate projects, sports events, conferences and Guinness records. However, this increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub have also highlighted potential human rights quagmires concerning it’s largely immigrant workforce.

Culture

Culture in Dubai is rooted in Islamic traditions that form UAE National's lifestyles. It is highly important that when tourists visit Dubai they must respect and behave suitably, as the minority group of Emiratis are very protective over their culture and traditions.

Dubai is famously known as the entertainment capital of the Middle East which attracts many party lovers from all over the world, especially those who are wealthy enough to splash out on the most expensive bars and clubs in the city. With Dubai promoting such an image, it still forbids the nationals that practice Islam to indulge in any of the entertaining services offered. In that respect these services are often located in the more touristy areas rather than in residential parts.

Alcohol is not forbidden in Dubai, as long as it is confined within an area like a hotel, bar or nightclub. Residents are free to drink in their own homes as long as they have an alcohol licence issued by the municipality. It is illegal to drink in the street or in public places. Pork is also available for the consumption of visitors and expatriates.

It is advised that visitors and expatriates do not flaunt their Western culture habits in the streets, where they can be viewed by nationals who may find it offensive. There have been various complaints in the past by nationals who have expressed their views through the media about their home-land being taken over by the Western world.

Having said this, it does not mean the locals are against foreigners visiting Dubai, it is just common courtesy to respect your hosts. Emiratis are traditionally known for their warm hospitality and they are very generous when offering refreshments to guests.

Emiratis tend to dress in their traditional clothes influenced by their Islamic belief. Most men prefer the traditional dishdasha or khandura (a long white shirt-dress), with ghutra (a white headdress) and agal (a rope worn to keep the ghutra in place). The Emirati women tend to wear an abaya (a long black cloak), which is worn over conservative clothes, with a sheyla or hijab (a scarf used to wrap around the face and head).

Expatriates and visitors are advised to dress appropriately; trousers or a dress should be worn to cover below the knee, when circulating the city, especially at historical sites. However, they can wear what they wish when they are in a hotel, bar or club and swim wear is tolerated by the pool or at the beach.

Geography

Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf, in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is the second largest emirate with an urban area of 3885 sq km and the city is roughly 35 sq km. However it will expand to twice that size with the addition of the man-made islands; the Waterfront, the three Palms, the World, the Universe, Dubailand, as well as the construction in the desert.

One of the most fascinating geographical aspects of Dubai, is its Creek, which divides the city into two regions. Dubai Creek is made up of a natural 9.5 mile inlet in the Persian Gulf, around which the city’s trade developed. North of the Creek is called Deira, and Bur Dubai refers to the south where it joins the tourist and residential developments of Jumeirah along the coast.

Dubai also has the highest population, sharing its borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast.

Due to the city’s unique geographical location it enjoys a strategic position which allows it to connect to all local Gulf States, as well as to East Africa and South Asia.

Climate

Dubai has a sub-tropical, arid climate. Rainfall is infrequent and irregular. Between November and March, Dubai weather is warm and sunny without being unbearably hot. Winter temperatures are around 23 degrees C in the daytime, while nights are cooler.

The line of the Tropic of Cancer crosses through the UAE, causing the weather in Dubai to be warm and sunny. In the winter it has an average daytime temperature of 25°C, nearer the coast 12-15°C, in the desert or mountains 5°C. With the nights being relatively cool. Near coastal areas humidity can average between 50% and 60%.

In the summer, the weather in Dubai is very hot and humid, with temperatures reaching mid 40’s. Even the sea temperature can reach 37°C, with humidity averaging over 90%.

Rainfall in Dubai is infrequent and does not last for a long period. It mostly rains during the winter period in the form of short gushes and an occasional thunderstorm. On average, rain falls only five days a year.

Economy

Dubai is an important tourist destination and its port (JebeL Ali) operates at the centre of the exporting trade in the Middle East. With the introduction of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2004, it has allowed Dubai to develop as a global hub for service industries such as IT and finance.

The government has set up industry-specific free zones throughout the city in order to attract foreign businesses and this has been Dubai’s greatest economic achievement. The economy has benefited from new technological advances of information and communication by the introduction of The Dubai Internet City and Media City. Dubai has tempted many established media companies, such as CNN, to base their Middle East operations in the city.

Dubai is the second wealthiest emirate in the UAE, after Abu Dhabi which is the capital state. Most tourists believe Dubai’s revenues came primarily from oil but in fact it only used a moderate amount of oil reserves to generate the infrastructure for trade, manufacturing and tourism, in order to build up its economy.

About 95% of Dubai’s Gross Domestic Product is not oil-based. It is expected that by 2010, oil will account for less than one percent of Dubai’s GDP and tourism to produce 20% of the GDP. These figures explain why Dubai has had to become a more dynamic and diversified economy in order to survive the decay of fossil fuels.

In the early 1990’s there were only a handful of hotels available for tourists and Dubai never had high oil revenues like Abu Dhabi so something had to change. The Burj Al Project in 1994 (Burj Al Arab Hotel) gave hope to the economy, as a long term strategy, an ambition to become the world’s top tourist destination.

Since then, Dubai has never looked back; it has rapidly changed into an investor’s playground with tourism rocketing sky high. Dubai city hopes to accommodate 15 million visitors in 2015.

Bur Dubai UAE desert Dubai Creek
Dubai woman Dubai Burj Al Arab