The bigger and better mentality has truly gripped the emirate, which is already well-known for its horse races, golf tournaments and abundant shopping. Dubai is currently home to the biggest manmade seaport in the world and its airport, which faces further expansion, is one of the world?s largest.

And so it should be, to facilitate the influx of tourists which will inevitably result from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum?s projects aimed at increasing tourism in Dubai.

Eighth Wonder of the World

Perhaps the most impressive of his plans are the Palm Islands, which have already been dubbed ?The Eighth Wonder of the World?. The three islands ? The Palm, Jumeirah; The Palm, Jebel Ali and The Palm, Deira ? will be the largest artificial islands in the world on completion.

Shaped like massive palm trees, they will add 120 kilometres to Dubai?s shoreline and will be home to luxury hotels, private villas, water theme parks, restaurants, malls and sporting facilities.

This impressive feat is accomplished by dredging up sand from the bottom of the Persian Gulf and offloading it, guided by GPS, in specific locations.

The first of the islands ? The Palm, Jumeirah ? was completed in 2006. The Palm, Jebel Ali, which will contain a ?sea village? and a water theme park, is expected to be finished by the end of 2008 while The Palm, Deira ? which will be the largest of the three islands ? covering an area bigger than Paris, is expected to be completed in 2009.

Naturally the construction of these islands raised some concerns about the environmental impact. Surely such masses of land cannot be relocated without affecting the marine life and surrounding ecology?

According to Nakheel (the company developing the islands) however, all environmental concerns were thoroughly addressed by a team of experts before construction began. The company admits that while dredging does affect the seabed, baseline surveys were conducted on the environment of both the proposed ?borrow? area and the proposed reclamation site, before construction began to determine the minimum amount of damage.

Furthermore, Nakheel actually aims to enhance the environment through their projects. For instance, on The Palm, Jumeirah project, it was found that there were virtually no signs of marine life in the area before the reclamation, but as soon as construction began, marine life began to exist in the area. The breakwater is now covered with diverse marine life.

Sceptics can be further placated by the fact that the company is using environmentally friendly building materials and energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

The World Islands

Bent on global domination of the tourism market, Dubai has, quite literally, laid claim to the world. 'The World' Islands are an archipelago of artificial islands in the shape of the continents of the world.

Currently under construction, this $1.8-billion project is set to be completed in 2008. The World will consist of 300 small private islands divided into four categories ? private homes, estate homes, resorts and community islands ? and can be bought for upwards of $6.85-million.

Burj Dubai

Back on dry land, the Burj Dubai ? The Tower of Dubai ? which has been under construction since April 2005, is pegged to become the tallest building in the world. Although the final height is being kept secret for fear of competitiors beating them to the record, it has been estimated that the building?s 195 or so floors will make it between 800 and 940 metres high.

The building had already hit 105 stories in January 2007 and at 389 metres was the tallest building in the Middle East and the eighth tallest building in the world. When complete, it is supposed to be almost double the height of the Empire State Building.

The first 37 floors will be occupied by an Armani hotel. The first of its kind, the interior will be decorated by Giorgio Armani. The next 70 odd floors will consist of private apartments and the floors above this will be taken up by offices.

In such a tall building, the stairs are clearly not an option and to minimise 'travelling' time, the Burj Dubai will feature the world?s fastest lift, travelling at 65 km/h.

Dubailand

Also currently under construction is the 2-billion square feet Dubailand which will contain 45 massive projects. Some of these, such as Snow Land, are already open to the public. Here is a taste of what Dubailand holds ? breathtaking for even the most intrepid traveller:

• Ski Dubai: the largest indoor ski resort in the world. With five different slopes, this desert miracle covers an area equivalent to four football fields.
• Aviation World: discover the history of flying, check out vintage flying machines or become a virtual pilot.
• Bio World: will house the largest undercover rainforest in the world.
• Dinosaur World: visitors will be able to walk through a land of life sized dinosaurs which actually move (think a non-dangerous Jurassic Park).

Dubailand, as with the rest of the emirate, is literally trying to squeeze the entire planet into a single easily accessible location. A selling point of the Global Village is that it contains all the sites, smells, sounds and cuisines or the world ? making further travel redundant.

With attractions boasting the biggest and best Dubai will no doubt grab an increasing slice of the world?s tourism market, but one can?t help but wonder how much of the real Dubai visitors will get to see. A romantic notion perhaps, but with the old rapidly making way for the new it won?t be long until there is little trace left of what, just 50 years ago, was a humble fishing village.

For more info...
• To find out more on visiting Dubai, click through to www.dubaitourism.co.za or call (0)11 785 4600.