The city of Dubai, located in the country of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It has quickly developed into a center of trade and commerce in the Middle East. Money is flowing into the city as tourists from North America are continually traveling to the city for vacations. The city is also regularly hosting a large amount of trade shows and conventions bring even more money into Dubai's local economy. There doesn't seem to be any end in sight to development of the city. New buildings are being constructed all the time. If you want to see this amazing city for yourself, you need to read Hipmunk's UAE travel guide. This will help you to learn some of the local customs. Here are some of the major attractions that will help you to have a Dubai vacation to remember forever.
1. Burj Khalifa
Also known as the Khalifa Tower, this is currently the tallest building in the world by a very wide margin. Its total height is 2,722 feet tall. It took five years to build, at a cost of $1.5 billion US dollars. There are a mixture of office and residential spaces that are contained within the building. The apartments sold out before the building was even completed. Burj Khalifa was prominently featured in the "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" action film starring Tom Cruise. In the film, Cruise scales the side of the building. It is not special effects; the real Tom Cruise is shown dangling from the side of the building.
2. Wild Wadi Water Park
This water park is one of the largest attractions in Dubai. Since the city is located in the desert, the weather is hot all the time, making many visitors want to cool down in the water. The extremely hot climate has ensured that a steady stream of people will always be coming through its gates. The park contains a pair of artificial surfing machines, several water slides and a wave pool that has the ability to be cooled and heated.
3. The Dubai Mall
In terms of its total area, this mall is the largest in the world. It is connected to the Downtown Dubai complex that consists of more than 1,100 stores. The complex cost $20 billion US dollars to build. The mall was opened in 2009. The Dubai Mall can now officially be called one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2009, more than 36 million people paid a visit to the mall. The following year, this number increased to 46 million. The mall also contains the Dubai Aquarium, which is one of the reasons for the large amount of visitors.
4. Ski Dubai
If you think that you can't go skiing in the desert, then you had better guess again. Ski Dubai is able to make the seemingly impossible very possible indeed. This is an indoor ski resort featuring more than 23,000 square meters of space. Even the immense heat of the Dubai desert can't penetrate the walls of this building and melt the snow. This is a great place to take the entire family, even kids who are just beginning to learn how to ski.
This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, the most comprehensive travel search website allowing you to find the best deals on anything from flights and hotels to train rides and Homeaway rentals.
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