Epitomizing an oil-rich sheikhdom isn't a bad life, but what Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, really wants is to entertain visitors.
Dubai's tourism appeal includes big-time horse races and sporting events, a monthlong shopping festival and a skyline that commands the attention of Dubai's visitors—not to mention such fascinating hotels as Dubai's own Burj Al Arab. For jaded, been-there-done-that tourists, Dubai, on the Persian Gulf, can throw in camel racing, sand boarding, sand skiing, ice-skating, snow skiing and unique cultural activities.
Dubai's rapid transformation has left it with a slice of old Arabia and a chunk of modern infrastructure. In Dubai, you'll find souks selling gold jewelry and traditional wares not far from modern shopping centers selling electronics and luxury items. Visitors to Dubai will also see wind towers and minarets rising up from old neighborhoods, dwarfed in turn by Dubai's office and hotel towers.
But the biggest contrast can be seen in Dubai's landscape: A splendid coastline and beaches are backed by an expansive desert, which in itself is a magnificent paradox of impressive sand dunes and starkly beautiful mountains.
