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Considering taking your dog on your long term holidays in the glittering capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi? You may want to look elsewhere. In the interest of keeping the burgeoning metropolis clean, no dog zones have been established in many key attractions. These include all beaches, public parks, shopping centres, malls and swimming pools. Abu Dhabi dog owners are going to find it particularly hard to keep the dog’s healthy and happy with just the streets to play on, and a new code on dog waste disposal will put them under increased obligation.

However, dogs are still welcome in other parts of the UAE, and there is no indication that similar legislation will come into effect in Dubai et al. This will be great news for anyone wanting to go a step beyond all inclusive holidays to holiday home owner or full time resident in Dubai. The accelerated development that the city has seen in the last decade has lead to very cheap rental prices as well. The rental price of a villa in Dubai is now fourteen percent lower than in 2009, due to construction far outstripping actual demand.

Yet if you find anyone who has actually been on Dubai holidays will have nothing but enthusiasm for a land where financial opportunity and tourist opulence combine. One of the most wounding misconceptions the market must face is the supposed prohibition of alcohol. Access to alcohol in the United Arab Emirates isn’t under any blanket prohibition, though it is subject to certain controls. In fact, year on year, the UAE was establishing itself as a quite significant Alcohol market (and then, unfortunately, the recession hit). And even though there are significant restrictions placed on the sale of alcohol, anything that keeps certain western tourists from turning into loutish thugs is to be welcomed. Hotels have the majority of alcohol licenses in Dubai. This is one of the reasons why hotel construction is so notable in Dubai. It is also possible to purchase alcohol at an off-license, though you will need to have a special license to do so.

Dubai gets thousands of visitors from Europe every year, but many remain unaware of the strict laws there, even suffering jail sentences as a result. This article explains why you should check legal information before travelling to Dubai and other regions in the Middle East.

Around eight hundred thousand visitors travel to Dubai from the UK alone each year to enjoy the ‘paradise on Earth’. What most are ignorant of are the strict and often surprising laws in place in this paradise.

Dubai is a Muslim state and as such has a very different view of many things compared to the Western world, especially when it comes to personal relationships, sexuality and narcotics (including alcohol). If you visit Dubai without being educated on these laws you may find yourself in jail for seemingly bizarre ‘crimes’ before you are even aware you have done anything wrong.

Some of you may have heard of the widely publicised case in which an English couple were jailed for ‘openly expressing affection’ on a beach in Dubai, but there have been several other examples;

- 4 year jail sentence for possessing 2 grams of cannabis.

- Jail term for man ‘possessing’ poppy seeds after eating a sandwich at Heathrow on his way to Dubai.

- 4 year jail sentence for microscopic traces of cannabis on a person’s shoe.

- One month in jail for kissing a man on the cheek in a Dubai restaurant.

- A lesbian couple jailed for one month for kissing on a Beach.

- Couple jailed for one year for kissing and cuddling in the back of a taxi.

The list goes on… in fact between 2006-2007 over two hundred Britons were arrested for similar ‘crimes’.

This illustrates why anyone planning a trip to the region should do their homework before departing, for instance there are over 350 ‘substances’ which are banned in Dubai. Many of these substances are common in the West, such as Poppy Seeds (mentioned above), Codeine (a common painkiller), Melatonin (used to combat jetlag), it is also illegal to drink alcohol in public.

There is frustration with an apparent level of hypocrisy in the state, with public consumption of alcohol banned, yet many hotels provide free alcohol. Homosexuality and public displays of affection banned but prostitution legal etc..

When in the holiday spirit (and after drinking in the hotel) it is very easy for Westeners to forget where they are and fall foul of these laws, even many of the 250,000 British expatriates occasionally get caught out so it is understandable that short term visitors are vulnerable. You should also be aware that if you do find yourself in trouble with the law in Dubai, the British embassy are unlikely to be able to help. The Foreign office urges vigilance when visiting Dubai, and offers advise, such as ensuring any medication is left in original packaging and to carry any prescription documentation with you as proof of validity. There are also restrictions on allowable hand luggage which you should verify before you depart.

The differences in law between The UK and Dubai are not only something new to holidaymakers, but also provide challenges for those in the profession moving from the West to the UAE. Expatriate lawyer Ewan Sheriff is one such person, previously a highly successful lawyer in Scotland, Ewan and the rest of the Sheriff family moved to Dubai in 2010 looking for fresh challenges and a better life for the Sheriff household. Ewan has had to learn a new legal system from scratch, but has relished the task. Ewan holds 18 years experience in high-profile Commercial, Real Estate and Asset Management arenas, with high-exposure firms located in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively.

Towards the end of 2009, having held an interest in the Middle East and it’s business opportunities for some time, Ewan Sheriff sought to embrace the regions richer and more balanced lifestyle for himself, his wife and his three young children. The Sheriff family relocated from the UK to Dubai in early 2010 and have never looked back. Ewan Sheriff himself has embraced mastering the legal system, and continues to enjoy the cultural offerings of the region. Being a keen sportsman, Ewan continues to root for his Celtic football team from abroad, as well as running, swimming and playing football in Dubai. He and his wife remain keen travellers and the Sheriff family are keen skiers.

In 2010 the tourism industry didn’t make much progress on year before due to the credit crunch and worldwide recession, this however all looks to change in 2011 as new tourist hot spot are looking to attract Millions of tourists.

Cuba – tourists have only been allowed to enter Cuba’s boarder again since 1997 Because of the communistic policies the government undertook, when the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba was only left with its internal industry as all Imports/exports were banned by the U.S’s embargo.

Before Fidel’s Castro’s government in the 1950′s Cuba was most visited country in the Caribbean, as millions of Americans would take their annual holidays there, they were attracted by the hot tropical climates, the white bountiful beaches, blue skies and crystal clear waters, these combined with the rich Spanish culture renders into the perfect holiday destination.

Cuba Holidays were taken over 2 million people last year this indicates that year on year Cuba’s tourism industry is rapidly expanding in order to cope with tourist masses, this is why Cuba is expected to be a great tourist destination in 2011.

Dubai Dubai is very well off emirate in the middle east, Many people believe this is solely due to the Oil Industry when in fact it’s due to the real estate sector.

Dubai has dedicated its sights on being the world’s largest tourist hotspot and becoming the central Hub of the world, hundreds of billions have been spent expanding Dubai’s facilities and attractions.

Dubai’s Attractions include:

• World’s tallest sky scraper, which boosts the only seven star hotels in the world
• Complete revamp of down town Dubai
• Man made islands in the shape of the Earth and a Palm tree
• Four of the world’s largest shopping malls
• Man made rotating mountain covered in real snow
• The Biggest Aqarium in the world
• Numerous galleries and parks
• and in 2018 the world’s largest theme park “Dubai land” is expected to open this park is expected to be seven times the Disney world and entails a Universal Studios and the world’s first Dream work studios

listed aboveare just a few attractions Dubai Holidays have to offer including many many more but you can see point I’m getting at, with all this expansion and Investment Dubai will surely be one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.