As an open port with low import duties, Dubai’s retail prices are reasonable and the variety of products available matches that of any other major international city. The emirate is teeming with shopping malls and each mall reveals a different theme and experience. The sprawling expanse of the malls, the innovative architecture, the designer boutiques, top brands, vast product range from haute couture to the latest gadgets and gizmos and an endless choice of restaurants and cafes allow visitors the option of passing an entire day within the premises of a single shopping complex.

Existing alongside modern marvels such as the shopping malls, are the traditional markets, also known as the souks. With their historic structures still in place and restored to meet the demands of the present day, Dubai‘s different souks may vary in their offerings and character, but are all alive with the buzz of trade and the spirit of a strong and traditional past.

The Dubai shopping scene offers something for everyone. Apart from competitively priced electronic products, watches, cameras and other international items, popular traditional gifts include Arabic coffee pots; silver and brass swords and "khunjars" (Arabic curved daggers); prayer beads; soapstone figures; coasters and other items decorated with lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite and other semi-precious stones; marble goblets; silver antique jewellery from Oman and Yemen, as well as locally made items; brass and silver work; silver and wooden dhows; Persian carpets and cotton dhurries (oblong floor coverings) and a multitude of other ethnic items.

Dubai’s shopping potential begins when you arrive and extends right up to the journey home through its now globally acclaimed Dubai Duty Free shops at its airports. First opened in 1983, Dubai Duty Free has won a number of international awards and is recognised in the industry and by the travelling public alike as offering a superlative range of high quality products at unbeatable prices