The city-state of Dubai is the second largest member of the U.A.E. and its most important port and commercial centre. It’s hard to imagine that within just the last half century alone, these desert shores that were once home to Bedouin tribes and small fishing villages have given rise to one of the world’s most dazzling cities. Home to logic-defying architecture and engineering feats of spectacular wonder such as Palm Island, an iconic man-made landscape that can be seen from space, Dubai has a population of approximately 2.4 million, and home to a wide diversity of nationalities. Whilst Arabic is the official language, English is widely spoken. 

Long before the discovery of oil in the 1960s, Dubai was known as the “City of Merchants,” a gateway to the Gulf long renowned for its Bedouin traditions of hospitality welcoming seafarers and traders from other lands. Today, Dubai extends this welcome to holiday makers and business visitors, offering facilities of the highest international standard combined with the charm and adventure of the Middle East; an exceptional blend of modern city and desert.