Dubai is one of the seven emirates which form UAE. This city is popularly known as the city of Gold because of its open gold markets. This prosperous city is located in the Persian Gulf and is becoming famous world wide because of the travel opportunities which it provides to tourists. During your Dubai travel , you will surely love everything about this place.

The city is dominated by the high rise luxury hotels which puncture the skyline and Dubai has placed itself at the higher end of the holiday market. Heavy investment in the infrastructure of Dubai in recent years stems from the status of the Emirate as an oil rich economy. Coupled with the income from tourism, Dubai is booming - a feature evident in the large scale construction projects that permeate the cityscape.

When to go

Dubai enjoys an arid subtropical climate with blue skies and year round sunshine. The warmest months are between June and September, when temperatures can reach 42°C/108°F. Although the sea temperature can be more than 30°C/86°F during the summer months, swimming pools at hotels and resorts are usually cooled and refreshing. During this time, visitors can also take advantage of the state-of-the-art air conditioning systems that have been introduced throughout the shopping malls, vehicles, hotels and entertainment facilities. This provides numerous indoor options for visitors to the emirate during the hot summer months, making it a year-round holiday destination.

The rest of the year has moderate temperatures ranging from a low of 10°C/50°F to a mean daily maximum of 25°C/77°F in December and January. The coolest period is generally between December and March. Lightweight summer clothing is suitable for most of the year, but sweaters or jackets may be needed during the winter months, especially in the evenings. These months enable visitors to experience the multitude of outdoor and indoor activities that Dubai has to offer.

Airport

To date, 120 airlines provide direct links to 205 destinations around the world, making Dubai International Airport one of the world’s busiest airports and the 10th largest gateway in terms of international traffic. The award-winning international airline, Emirates, is based in Dubai, operating scheduled services to more than 112 destinations. Direct flights to Dubai from the UK have also increased to 138 per week, approximately 20 per day, fuelling the increase in demand from UK consumers.

Dubai’s location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa makes for easy accessibility. Flying time from London is seven hours and using a mix of Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s for the journey, Emirates flies from London Heathrow to its Dubai base five times a day, and from London Gatwick thrice-daily. It also operates from Birmingham and Manchester twice a day, and from both Glasgow and Newcastle daily. This destination is also served directly by other airlines such as British Airways, Royal Brunei and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

A new international airport, Al Maktoum International Airport (JXB), is being developed at Dubai World Central in Jebel Ali. Due for completion in late 2009, this £16.4 billion city-within-a-city project will be able to handle between 120-150 million passengers annually and will be the largest airport in the world.