Travel Geography: A Case Study of Dubai and London

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TRAVEL GEOGRAPHY: A CASE STUDY OF DUBAI AND LONDON
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Introduction
The population of people in urban areas has risen across the world thereby making cities to
become global economic hubs (Timothy, 2018). Urban centers whether coastal or inland cities,
are drivers of innovation, growth, and recreation which continue to attract more people to live,
explore, do business, and enjoy their natural paranoma. According World Travel and Tourism
Council (2018), cities are considered as the global travel catalysts driving significant
improvement in travel and tourism, both within the city and the wider country at large. In this
report, the analysis takes into consideration London in United Kingdom and Dubai in United
Arab Emirates. Also, the report provides an in depth analysis of how climate, human activities,
and geographical characteristics influence tourism for both London and Dubai. Furthermore, it
illustrates what make London and Dubai appealing to both holidaymakers and tourists. Finally, it
compares and contrasts London and Dubai considering how these similarities and differences
affect tourism.
The Impact of Climate, Demographic and Geographical characteristics on Dubai and London
Case Study of Dubai
Dubai lies in the Arabian Peninsula at the eastern coast and to the Arabian Gulf at the south-west
(Government of Dubai, 2019). Dubai is considered the second largest city in the United Arab
Emirates after the city of Abu Dhabi covering an approximately 4114 square km of urban area
thereby representing 5% of United Arab Emirates total area with a coastal stretch of about 72 km
of length (Abuelgasim & Daiban, 2017). However, the city is deemed to expand by twice its size
especially with the addition of man-made islands such as the three Palms, the Universe, the
Waterfront, the desert construction and the Dubai land (Zaidan, 2016). Notably, Dubai is situated
between coordinate 25°16′ N and coordinate 55°18′ East sharing boarder with Sharjah to the

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northeast, Abu Dhabi to the south, and Oman Sultanate to the southeast (Government of Dubai,
2019). Also, Dubai is situated within the Arabian Desert directly, however, its topography is
substantially different compared to the United Arab Emirates southern parts since it is covered
by sandy desert patterns as compared to the gravel deserts that dominate most of the country’s
southern region (Bagaeen, 2007).
The United Arab Emirates is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer thereby making the Dubai’s
weather to be both sunny and warm (Travel Agents, 2019). As a result, Dubai experiences
tropical desert climatic features. For instance, in winter Dubai has an estimated 250C of daytime.
Besides, the humidity at the coastal areas can be an approximate average of 50% to 60 %
( Government of Dubai, 2019). However, in summer Dubai’s weather is very hot and humid
with temperatures up to mid-40’s degrees Celsius (Knox, Marston, &Imort, 2013). At the sea
during summer the temperature can be up to 37oC, with over 90% average humidity. As result,
summers in Dubai are regarded as very hot since there is 29.7oC overnight flows while winters
are warm with an estimate of 14oC overnight flows. Besides, Dubai experiences infrequent
rainfall which lasts a short time. It mostly rains in winter in the form of occasional thunderstorm
and short gushes. In a year, it can rain for an average of five days (Travel Agents, 2019).
However, according to Government of Dubai (2019), there has been an increase in precipitation
in Dubai within the last few decades thereby accumulating 87.3 mm of rain in a year.
According to the census of 2013 conducted by the Statistics Centre of Dubai, Dubai’s population
is approximated at 2.3 million. However, by 2018 the population of Dubai was estimated at
3.137 million with the males constituting three quarter of its population. The city is a
multicultural society with only about 5% local Emiratis while the rest are worlds expatriates
majorly Indians supplying Dubai with cheap labour and filling professional positions. Also, the

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other nationalities are from different Arabic nations with a significant number from Iranians
especially after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Moreover, high demand for workers especially in
tourism sector has attracted numerous people from China, Malaysia, and Philippines. Dubai is,
therefore, considered the capital of the economy of UAE.
Dubai as a Tourist and Holidaymakers Destination
Dubai is ranked number six as the most visited city in the world (World Travel and Tourism
Council, 2018). There are several amenities that attract tourist, holidaymakers as well as business
travelers to Dubai. First, Dubai has some of the top world luxurious hostels which offer guests
five-star experiences (Travel Agents, 2019). Tourists and holidaymakers have a variety of
choices hotels and restaurants while discovering the taste of Dubai. Secondly, the city offers a
cosmopolitan lifestyle accompanied with emirate local culture. Furthermore, Dubai offers plenty
of things tourist and holidaymakers love to enjoy. First, tourist can marvel at the beautiful
modern Arabic architecture such as Burj Khalifa-the tallest building (Smith, 2008) on earth
hosting restaurants, hotels, bars as well as residential units; Burj Al Arab located on a man-made
island towards Jumeirah Beach, Cayan Tower- majestically designed with 75-story twisted 90o),
Atlantis, The Palm combining five-star hotels and Aqua-venture water park, the Opus, the Dubai
Frame, Gevora Hotel, the Green Planet, the Museum of the Future, and Five Palm Jumeirah
Dubai.
In addition, visitors can swim with dolphins as they have a taste of a day at the waterpark. Also,
Dubai desert adventure appeals to many visitors with her 4x4 Dune Bashing, camel Riding, Sand
boarding, Speedboat Tour of Atlantis, Marina, Palm and Burj Ala Arab as well as underwater
Zoo and Dubai Aquarium (Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, 2019).
Furthermore, the Dubai Fountain is an awe-inspiring show at downtown Dubai Centre where