Tourist attractions
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
"The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Sheikh Rashid's son, builds on that of his father and seeks to re-create
Dubai as a new breed of world-class, 21st-century city-state," says Jonathan
Walsh, Managing Director of WPR, which works with Sirocco, Heineken's
joint-venture sales and marketing office in Dubai. "His vision encompasses
the creation of a knowledge society, which effectively competes globally,
not because of an accident of geography or history or mineral wealth, but
[because it is a society] which builds on these advantages to create long-
term competitiveness in the new global economy."
Presently, over 80 per cent of the emirate's population are expatriate
workers, and more than five million tourists visit the city every year. Dubai's
move towards tourism and international business has brought with it a
massive construction programme and many infrastructural changes.
Tourists need hotels, shopping malls and other attractions, while
expatriates need places for living and working. It's not surprising, then, that
the construction industry in Dubai is booming; roughly one quarter of the
world's cranes are currently in Dubai.
The fact that most of the city's coastline is already built up has not
deterred property developers from constructing new, innovative luxury
beachfront properties. The city has multiple land reclamation projects,
including the three Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm
Deira) expected to be completed between 2006 and 2012. Other projects
are the World Archipelago (made up of 300 private islands shaped like all
the countries of the earth) and the Dubai Waterfront. When completed, they
will comprise the largest man-made offshore property system in the world.
Properties in Dubai start at €250,000, but quickly rise into the millions.
Indeed, owning a residence in Dubai has become something of a status
symbol among the world's rich and famous. Former US president Bill
Clinton, soccer legend David Beckham and superstars Madonna and Rod
Stewart are just a few of the people rumoured to have purchased
properties along the coast of Dubai.
Some 5.5 million tourists travelled to the emirate in 2004, and this
number is expected to jump to 15 million by 2010. To accommodate these
visitors, tourist facilities of every kind continue to crop up. There are more
than 40 five-star hotels in Dubai at present, with 16 more under construction.
Next year, 34 hotels and resorts will be opening for business, and by 2008, the
city's hotel sector is expected to have grown by 50 per cent.
When completed, the Burj Dubai apartment complex, for example, will be
the tallest structure in the world with its 160 inhabitable floors. The complex
will include 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 19 residential towers and the world's
largest shopping centre. The estimated cost of the project is US $8 billion.
Dubai has variously been described as the "Las Vegas of the Middle East," a
"Manhattan in the desert" and "Disneyland for grown-ups." And maybe such
comparisons aren't far-off. The city is certainly a playground for visitors from
all walks of life.
Some tourists will surely be attracted to Dubailand, an entertainment
complex presently under construction that will feature a grand total of 12
theme parks, including one of the largest water parks in the world and a
dinosaur theme park called The Restless Planet. Those keen on winter sports
can already go to the Ski Dubai indoor snow park at the Mall of the Emirates—
at 400 metres long, it is the world's first indoor black rated ski slope. And
anyone seeking relaxation can spend the day at the decadent Six Senses Spa
at the Madinat Jumeirah, The Arabian Resort (see sidebar), to be pampered
with body massages and hot rock treatments.
Visitors interested in history and architecture should visit the Bastakiya
district—an intertwining maze of narrow lanes, courtyards and houses
designed in traditional Arab architectural styles, which provides a compelling
contrast to the modern skyscrapers, hotels and shopping malls that dazzle the
eye in the rest of the city. The tour by abra, a water taxi, offers a view of the
city from the waves of Dubai Creek. A stroll through the Heritage Village will
take you past the magnificent Grand Mosque.
