Dubai: Oasis of Change

Once just a simple village, Dubai has transformed itself over the past century into one of the most luxurious cities on Earth. Its evolution from humble beginnings to glitzy metropolis began in 1894, when the emirate granted foreign traders tax-exempt status, a move that doubled the city's population. After the discovery of oil in 1966, Dubai's economy expanded rapidly and greater numbers of businessmen arrived. However, in the 1980s, Dubai's oil wells began to run dry, forcing the emirate to reinvent itself once more –– this time as a high-end tourist destination.

Today, Dubai's tax-free policies continue to draw expats, while its host of tourist sites has opened the floodgates to visitors. In fact, Dubai ranked No. 7 on the list of Forbes' most-visited cities worldwide last year. It's also the fastest-growing city on the globe, developing at the astonishing rate of 10.7 percent per year.

Superlatives are easy to come by in Dubai. The Dubai Mall is the biggest one on Earth; last year alone 75 million customers passed through its doors. In another part of the city stands the Burj Al Arab, reputedly the world's only seven-star hotel. Its opulent interior is covered by 1,790 square meters of 24-carat gold leaf. Also located in Dubai is the 828-meter-high Burj Khalifa, the planet's tallest building. Finally, guests are sure to be impressed by the city's Palm Islands. Designed to look like palm leaves, they're the largest artificial islands under the sun.

杜拜的綠洲變奏曲

杜拜曾經只是一座簡樸的村莊，卻在過去一個世紀轉變為全球數一數二奢華的城市。從卑微的出身到耀眼奪目的大都會，杜拜的發展過程始於 1894 年，當時杜拜酋長國授予外國商人免稅身分，從而促成該市人口倍增。在 1966 年發現石油之後，杜拜的經濟迅速擴張，有更多的商人前來。不過，杜拜的油井在 1980 年代開始枯竭，迫使其再次轉型——這次則是轉變為高級觀光勝地。

今日，杜拜的免稅政策持續吸引外國民眾，而城裡的許多觀光景點更開放對遊客的諸多限制。事實上，在《富比士》雜誌去年的全世界最多人造訪城市的榜單上，杜拜排名第七。杜拜也是全球成長速度最快的城市，每年以令人咋舌的 10.7% 成長率發展。

在杜拜很容易聽到最高級的形容詞語。杜拜購物中心的規模為全球之冠，單是去年就有 7,500 萬名顧客光臨。在該市的另一地區則矗立著杜拜帆船飯店，一般認為是世上唯一的七星級飯店。這間飯店富麗堂皇的內部覆蓋著 1,790 平方公尺的 24K 金箔。高 828 公尺的哈里發塔也同樣位於杜拜，是全球最高的建築物。最後，遊客當然也會對該市的棕櫚群島感到驚豔。這座設計得有如棕櫚葉的群島是全世界最大的人工群島。

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