As long ago as 1580, an Italian traveller reported that Dubai was a prosperous pearl-diving and fishing community. It was still much the same at the beginning of the 20th century, when over 300 pearl-diving dhows were stationed in Dubai’s creek. Modern Dubai can be said to date from the 1830’s when 800 men of the Bani Yas tribe under the Al-Maktoum family settled here. The Al-Maktoums have ruled ever since and what’s more seem to have been blessed in each generation with a leader of business acumen.

In 1894 the family began giving tax exemptions to foreign traders and in 1903 persuaded a British steamship company to use Dubai as the main port of call en route to India. In the I950’s Sheikh Rashid invested heavily in dredging the creek, which was beginning to silt up. The modernisation programme continued with the decision to build Jebel Ali, the world’s largest man-made port and to develop Dubai’s international airport, with its famously lavish duty-free area. Dubai’s unbridled laissez- faire economy was encouraged but crucially underpinned by considerable spending on infrastructure.

It will come as a great surprise to those who visit Dubai, how diverse a destination this is. Not only does it make for great shopping but Dubai also offers a wealth of activities including dune driving, dune skiing, scuba diving, golf, horse riding, wadi bashing and sailing. Dubai also makes an excellent base for exploring the other Emirates, to combine with the ancient Sultanate of Oman or to relax on the endless white sandy beaches of the Jumeira Coast. With so many contrasts and arguably the best hotels in the world Dubai is one of the world's most exciting destinations.