The oil boom in Dubai fuelled a period of rapid economic development in the desert state of Dubai. One of the main ways in which this was expressed was a massive, multi-billion dollar investment in their relatively young tourism industry.

For a while it seemed like they couldn’t build luxury hotels, golf courses, and theme parks fast enough to cope with rapidly increasing demand from tourists and business travellers alike.

However, the recent financial crisis in Dubai has forced its burgeoning tourism industry to face something of a reality check. Since then, the average price of a hotel room in Dubai has dropped from 305 to a mere 230 US dollars.

While this is undoubtedly bad news for those who have invested heavily in Dubai, it is good news for tourists, and Dubai is predicted to be one of the real holiday bargains of 2010.

A spokesperson for DialAFlight said ‘In recent years, Dubai has been transformed from a relatively unpopulated desert into a very desirable, albeit expensive, holiday destination.’

‘Until recently, there were a lot of wealthy business travellers visiting the area, but since the financial crash, there have been a lot of luxury hotel rooms lying empty.’

‘As a result, the hotels have been slashing their prices in an attempt to attract more leisure tourists. For example, we are currently able to offer up to 50 per cent discount at the newly opened Atlantis resort, and some similarly massive discounts at hotels along Jumeirah Beach, which would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.’

‘There are really some incredible deals to be had right now, and we have already seen a huge surge in interest from the public, who are understandably keen to grab the opportunity to enjoy a luxury holiday at a bargain basement price.’