With year-round sunshine, intriguing deserts, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels and shopping malls, fascinating heritage attractions and a thriving business community, Dubai receives millions of leisure and business visitors each year from around the world. These visitors can benefit from a range of services and a local infrastructure that help make any trip to Dubai smooth and hassle-free.
English is widely spoken in Dubai, and as all restaurant
menus, road signs and other information is usually presented in both
English and Arabic, visitors who speak English will have no trouble
making their way around. Many tour operators and travel professionals
will also be able to offer services to French, Russian and German
speaking visitors.
The local currency is the dirham, which is pegged to the
dollar at Dhs 3.67. Dubai offers a sophisticated network of banks,
currency exchanges and ATMs, making it easy to access money across the
city.
Dubai is tolerant and cosmopolitan and all visitors are
welcome. However, Islam is a way of life in the city, and therefore
tourists should adopt a certain level of cultural and religious
sensitivity for the duration of their stay. While dress codes are fairly
liberal, swim wear should only be worn on beaches or at swimming pools,
and when visiting shopping malls and other attractions, tourists should
wear clothing that is not too tight or revealing. Certain attractions,
such as mosques or religious sites, usually have stricter dress codes,
requiring both men and women to cover up bare shoulders, arms and legs,
and women to wear headscarves.
Despite being governed by Islamic laws, alcohol is available
to tourists in licensed bars and restaurants (these are almost always
located inside four and five star hotels), and in airport duty free
shops. Drinking in public places (such as beaches) is not permitted, and
being drunk and disorderly in public can result in stiff penalties.