If you are into shopping and soaking in the desert experience, then it is very hard to beat a place like Dubai. Each year from January to February Dubai hosts a shopping festival named simply as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). This year nearly a million and a half people attended the opening ceremonies alone. Each year since it started in 1996 the Dubai shopping festival has attracted more and more people. There are 2 basic reasons behind the popularity of the DSF. The first and most obvious is low prices. Just about any item from luxury cars to tooth paste will cost less here compared to anywhere else. The second reason is because even for small purchases customers get coupons to enter contests. Winners of these contest (there are many of them) walk away with some fantastic prizes.

The main reason why Dubai has become a big hub for merchants is because there is no duty. Dubai is indeed a duty free country, and these savings passes on to the consumer. Hence people from all over the world come to Dubai for shopping. As a result of all this there are nearly six thousand retail stores and several malls. In fact, one of the biggest malls in the world, the Mall of the Emirates, is located in Dubai. This mall boasts of nearly every type of entertainment including an indoor ski slope!

Flying to Dubai is easy. It is well connected by one of the largest airlines in the world known as Emirates. Emirates are also the main sponsor of Dubai shopping festival. It offers discounted travel as well accommodation packages. From all this it may seem like Dubai is a destination available exclusively for high end luxury seeking customers. The good news is that this is not the case. In fact, there are plenty of budget tour packages available for people who are looking forward to a visit to Dubai. One such company that offers such packages is Fly Dubai. This is a low cost airline started nearly three years ago and they offer tickets to Dubai for a bargain.

Shopping is not the only attraction in Dubai. Another big tourist attraction in this magnificent city is desert safaris. This involves taking a combination of car and camel rides in the desert. Usually there will be overnight camping involved and the tour guides will cook up some delicious local fare such as roast lamb, chicken and mint tea. Afterwards a fire will be started and there will be plenty of singing and dancing into the wee hours of the night. There are customized desert safari packages, and because of the competition it is easy to find highly competitive rates.

As far as accommodation and car hiring is concerned, there are plenty of choices in Dubai. Everything from small budget hotels to five star hotels are plentiful. In fact, Dubai boasts of the worlds only 7 star hotel! There are more hotels in Dubai per square kilometer than anywhere else in the world. Car rentals and taxis are available. However, if you are planning on renting a car, be sure to look up the rules for driving before venturing out.