DESTINATIONS DUBAI | MIDDLE EAST


magic


Glamorous Dubai has a knack for pulling in repeat visitors, but Tracey Davis discovers the magic of a first-time visit


l travelweekly.co.uk


anding in Dubai is like flying into a film set. Even at night, the city sparkles like it’s dusted with diamonds. I fully expect to see Tom Cruise scaling the Burj


Khalifa, á la Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. A seven-hour flight, minimal jet lag and an international (read: no culture shock) vibe, it’s no surprise that Dubai is a big hitter for travel agents. I’m on a whistle-stop fam trip with 15 agents, many of whom are visiting the emirate for the first time.


Like the Truman Show, Dubai looks like it’s been designed purely for our entertainment. A city of superlatives, it has a reputation for building the biggest and the best of everything. Gilded five-star hotels, shopping malls with ski slopes and shark tanks, plus endless space-age structures, it’s easy to see why Dubai is called the ‘Vegas of Arabia’. The best way to find your bearings is to get up high. And at 830m tall, there’s no place higher


² 8 FEBRUARY 2024 39


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Jackrit Singhanutta


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