destination. Visitors to this city find the place excitingly attractive and bustling with activities. Mega construction projects are going on all over the

city, most of which are either the “first” or the “best” in their respective categories.

Adding to Dubai’s popularity are the many sporting events it holds. And these are not just ordinary sporting events; they’re Dubai sports events – considered

the richest, again, in their respective categories. The Dubai World Cup, for example, is considered the richest horse race in the world. The Dubai Tennis

Championship, on the other hand, is an important tournament where the biggest names in tennis participate.

Another one of the biggest Dubai sports events is the Dubai Desert Classic. This is a professional golf tournament held annually at the Emirates Golf Club.

But first, let’s look back at how the Dubai Desert Classic started.

In 1986, the plan for constructing a world-class golf course in Dubai was approved. The plan became a reality a couple years later, when the Emirates Golf

Club was completed. Soon after, the “Majilis” course was created at the Emirates Golf Club. It is in this par-72, 7,301-yard course where the Dubai Desert

Classic is being held every year since (the 1999 and 2000 editions of the tournament, though, was held at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club).

The tournament’s format is known as the “stroke play.” This is a scoring system in which the total number of strokes taken on each hole during the series of

rounds is counted. The player with the least number of strokes for the rounds wins the tournament.

Since its inauguration in 1989 (then known as the Karl Litten Desert Classic), the Dubai Desert Classic has been part of the European Tour timetable. The

tournament was likewise the first European Tour event to be held in the Middle East. The following year (1990) the tournament was called the Emirates

Airlines Desert Classic.

Dubai Desert Classic became the official name of the tournament beginning in the 1992 edition, which was won by Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros Sota of Spain.

Past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic were as follows:

• 1993 – Wayne Brett Westner of South Africa

• 1994 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 1995 – Frederick “Fred” Steven Couples of the United States

• 1996 – Colin Stuart Montgomerie of Scotland

• 1997 – Richard George Green of Australia

• 1998 – Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain

• 1999 – David Alexander Howell of England

• 2000 – Jose Eusebio Coceres of Argentina

• 2001 – Thomas Bjorn of Denmark

• 2002 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 2003 – Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands

• 2004 – Mark Francis O’Meara of the United States

• 2005 – Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els of South Africa

• 2006 – Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods of the United States

• 2007 – Henrik Stenson of Sweden

• 2008 – Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods of the United States

• 2009 – Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland.

Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, both big names in golf, were the most successful participants thus far in this tournament. The Dubai Desert Classic has a purse of

2.5 million US dollars.

Dubai is a favorite tourist destination mainly because of its many attractions. It has fine beaches, theme amusement parks, gardens, archaeological sites, and museums and galleries to name a few.

Dubai likewise boasts of cruises and water sports, and these two are attractions that tourists do not want to miss when traveling to the Emirates.

Dubai cruises:

Couples traveling in Dubai, for example, book on one of the Dubai cruises for a romantic evening. They enjoy the Arabian Gulf’s stillness and unspoiled water. Dubai cruises offer the following sights:

• The Bastakiya area, which has been restored, with the elegant windrowers (called barajeel);

• The Gold souks (traditional markets in Dubai);

• The abras (small motorboats) crisscrossing the water;

• The heritage village;

• The spectacular skyline of the financial district of Dubai.

Dubai’s dhows-wooden cruise cruisers is a special attraction because those who take these cruises are treated to the breathtaking picture offered while traversing the famous Dubai Creek. They are regaled by the beautiful view of Dubai’s skyline and major tourist sites. The average number of dhows that traverse the waters of Dubai Creek on a daily basis is one hundred fifty.

Taking one of the Dubai cruises is a real experience. The best views are presented at dawn, nighttime, or dusk. The services one gets from a cruise are comparable to those provided in a 5-star hotel. An international buffet menu is served to tourists, with a choice of continental or oriental fare.

Taking their adventure a little further, some tourists also try fishing while on the cruise. Each cruise takes about 3 hours to complete.

Water sports:

Most travelers to Dubai look forward to experiencing some of the recreational activities offered in the Emirate, and the water sports are almost always on top of their list. Dubai’s pleasant climate and the tranquility of the waters of the famous Dubai Creek are the reasons why the water sports in Dubai are popular.

The adventure begins at the Wild Wadi Water Park. It has 24 rides, with eight Master Blaster and two Flow Riders. Children and adults who are fond of water sports will have a great time, especially with the many thrills and spills that are offered here.

More adventures are offered here with the following:

• Fishing – This is the most favorite and, understandably, the easiest water sport.

• Water skiing – This water sport offers the chance of experiencing the gentle sea breeze as well as the cress of the azure waters.

• Scuba diving – This is a great water sport in Dubai, since the scuba diver will encounter many different marine life forms, such as sharks, eels, turtles, shoals, various species of small fish, and aquatic plants.

• Sailing – This is a highly-recommended water sport when in Dubai. The facilities offered for this adventure provides all the luxury the tourist needs.

It is obvious that the single biggest factor that makes Dubai cruises and water sports famous is the serene condition of Dubai Creek and beaches, where all these adventures take place.

Well, the price is almost the same except for some of the online shops.

Emirates Avenue online shopping portal has special discounts for iPhone 4G devices. You can order online, but do not have to pay until they deliver to you free of charge. You have the opportunity to check your iPhone and then make the payments.

New Features in Apple iPhone 4G

The new phone has over 100 new features. Following are few of them.

• Playlist creation – Create custom playlists right on your iPhone.
  5x digital zoom in the camera app.
• Multitasking – You can run third-party apps and switch between them instantly without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.
• Folders – Organize apps into folders with drag-and-drop simplicity. Get faster access to your favorites and browse and manage up to 2160 apps.
• Tap-to-focus for video – While shooting video, tap the display to choose where to focus.
• Auto photo-geotagging.
• The addition of Places functionality.
• The ability to change the Home screen wallpaper.
• Improved spell-checking.
• Support for Bluetooth keyboards.
• Improved email – See messages from all your accounts in a unified inbox, organize messages by threads, open attachments in third-party apps, and more.
• iBooks ebook reader.
• Gift Apps – Send apps as gifts to your friends or family.

What’s the weather like in Dubai? People wishing to travel to this beautiful and highly developed state in the United Arab Emirates, but who’ve never been to anywhere in the Middle East before, have this question.

One of the factors that seem to dictate the trend in Dubai tourism (i.e., the number of tourists to Dubai at any given period of the year) is the weather. Throughout the year, the weather in Dubai is characterized by sunny days. This is understandable considering that Dubai has an excessively dry subtropical climate.

Summer in Dubai, which is during the months of July to September, can be very humid and hot. The temperature during this time is around 45 C (113 F), although it can peak to 48 C (118.4 F), especially in the inner areas of the city. The humidity level, on the other hand, can get to as high as 90 percent. Shamal (Arabic for wind) blows from mid-May to mid-July, and causes large sandstorms.

A marked decrease in temperatures is experienced beginning October. For the entirety of this month, temperatures range from a low of 26 C (78.8 F) to a high of 36 C (96.8 F). The weather in Dubai begins to be comfortable for tourists in the months of November and December. During this period, temperatures range from 21 C (69.8 F) to 30 C (86 F). Some rainfall likewise occur during these two months.

Winter sets in at the start of the year and ends around the end of March. It is during this time of the year when Dubai experiences an increase in the number of tourists because of the ideal weather. Average minimum temperature during this time is 14 C (57.2 F), while average maximum temperature is 29 C (84.2 F).

Beginning April up to late June, the weather in Dubai turns warmer. Temperature during this period is anywhere between 34 C (94.2 F) and 41 C (105.8 F). Humidity level at this time ranges between 50 and 56 percent. Also during these months, the days remain sunny for 10 hours or so.

Rain is scanty for the entire year, with the highest precipitation taking place during the winter months of January to March. The average rainfall in Dubai for the entire year is only about 13 centimeters (just a little over 5 inches).

Here are the temperature averages in Dubai, on a per-month basis:

• January and February – 20 C (68 F)

• March – 23 C (73.4 F)

• April – 25 C (77 F)

• May – 30 C (86 F)

• June – 33 C (91.4 F)

• July and August – 35 C (95 F)

• September – 31 C (87.8 F)

• October – 28 C (82.4 F)

* November – 25 C (77 F)

* December – 22 C (71.6)

In a nutshell, the weather in Dubai is marked with year-round sunshine and very little rainfall. Those who are planning to visit Dubai should choose the period in the year in which they think they will best enjoy their travel to that destination.

Watch the Burj Dubai opening ceremony video.

You can see fireworks from multiple locations. Anywhere along the Jumeirah beach starting from the Palm Entrance will have a view to watch the fireworks. Make sure to go early as there will be a big crowd.

What else is on in the Dubai New Years Eve 2010?
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Almost all hotels in Dubai have organized dinner dance to celebrate the event. Some hotels have organized events to cater certain nationals.

Lama Tours has organized a special New Year’s Eve celebration on Lama floating restaurant (Dhow cruise). They also have special events with full of actions (Jazz music, dance etc) in the middle of the desert. Visit http://www.lama.ae/NewYear/NewYear2010.html for more details. If you are interested contact us for a special 10% discount for any of the events organized by Lama Tours.

If you have a limited budget then Ramada Dubai has special New Year’s Eve dinner dance for a reasonable price.

The quite often asked question by our website visitors is what are the things they must do while in Dubai. Well it is purely a personal preference. But here are my personal favourites.

• Dubai Desert safari
• Enjoy in Wild Wadi theme park
• Visit to Dubai Ski
• Perhaps a hot air balloon or a seaplane tour if I my budget permits

Visit Burj Al Arab and World or Palm islands

What about you? I would love to see what would you do if you were on a holiday in Dubai. Spend few minutes and post your comments.

The highlight of this years event is the display of fighter jets. You will be able to see the newest fighter jets at the Dubai air show 2009.

The airshow will be held for five days. I think this is one of the events that you should visit.

1. Visit www.emiratesavenue.com
2. Click the “Photo Printing” icon at the top.
3. Upload your digital photos
4. The Emirates Avenue will deliver your printed copies within 24 hours. Delivery is free.

This online digital photo printing facility will save you heaps of time.

Wait! That’s not all

Sign-up for the newsletter in the Emirates Avenue website and receive 25Dhs voucher. You can use this as part of your digital photo printing payment.

Why you must print digital photos?

Some of you may think that it is better to keep digital photos in a storage device such as CD, DVD, USB stick etc. But we do not recommend that. The simple reason is it is very easy to loose all your important photos due to the storage media corruption. This could be a physical damage or a file corruption.

The other reason to print digital photos is that you can see them when ever you need it. Otherwise you have to fire-up your Computer and view photos.

Other options for digital photo printing in Dubai

There are many shops in Dubai that can take digital photo printing. If you have time to walk or drive to one of the shops then this may be an option for you. But for me the best option is EmiratesAvenue online printing.

All three options are expensive. But if you can afford to pay then this will be a once in a lifetime experience. Just imagine flying over “The Palm Island”, “The World”, Burj Al Arab and skyscrapers like Burj Dubai.

There are few ways to book these aerial sightseeing tours in Dubai. Here are the places that you can get discounts.

Book your Dubai Seaplane tours with Viator

Visit our Dubai Tours page for special discounts from Lama Tours for Hot air ballooning and Helicopter tours.