Dubai was a few years ago not well known for tourism. How has Dubai managed to catch up with major tourism destinations such as Hawaii, Cannes or Bali? Other destinations have spent decades building up reputations and infrastructure with the hope of becoming a major travel destination. Dubai has managed to surprise all hospitality and tourism experts. These experts did not expect any destination and especially not one in the Middle East to become dominant player in the travel industry.

So how did Dubai manage to build a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert? Dubai started its rise to fame just over a decade ago with the launch of the first annual Dubai shopping festival. The local government decided to use this festival as a tool to promote Dubai as a holiday destination.

The Dubai Sheikh and his sons spend years building an infrastructure and resort area for the tourism industry The Sheikh had learned from oil experts that the oil supply of Dubai could run out by as early as 2010. The leader of Dubai realized that the 2nd largest of 7 United Arab Emirates could not survive without the oil revenue. The Sheikh of Dubai therefore looked for alternative sources of income and came up with the vision of turning Dubai into a luxurious holiday destination as well as an important business centre.The Dubai rulers invested most of the oil revenue into tourism and this has lead to Dubai being a leading holiday and business destination.