Are you Summer Ready?

As temperatures soar, we give you a run down on the hottest activities you can look forward with the new places unveiled in the last year

We’re in year two of a pandemic that has gripped the attention the globe. But 2021 seems slightly different. This time last year, we were holed up at home, working from our beds, double masking and sporting the unfashionable surgical gloves whenever we stepped out of our cocoons of isolation, donning the ‘doctors who just finished surgery’ chic. Now, 365 days later, the UAE has rallied and earne the prestigious badge of the largest percentage of the population to successfully receive the Covid-19 jab, globally.

While we’re still wearing masks and practising social distancing, we’re freer, moving fast towards a world where we finally know what peoples’ faces look like! With live entertainment back on, get serenaded by international musicians, amazed by acrobatic stunts and keel over in laughter at comedy shows.

Just over this past six-day Eid Al Adha break, several residents left the country to chill out in Europe and the shores of Seychelles and Zanzibar, something that was unthinkable last year what with the difficulties of international travel. This summer is expected to be one of the busiest yet at the Dubai International Airport (DXB). Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai has said that the City of Gold has set the benchmark for precautionary protocols, creating one of the safest destinations for travellers. Plus, ‘Time’ magazine named Dubai as one the 100 Greatest Places, saying that Dubai ‘brings people together’. Is there a better place to be in?

The country, which opened its doors to tourists on July 7, expects a steady flow of tourists for the rest of the season. Close to 100,000 passengers are forecasted to arrive in Dubai this summer on Emirates flights. The airline is expecting more than 450,000 passengers to travel from, to and through Terminal 3. This means that DXB, one of the busiest airports in the world, will be handling an average of one flight every 21 minutes. The city also expects around 5.5 million tourists through 2021 in anticipation of Expo 2020.

Dubai, also rightfully known as the Gulf Tiger, has crafted itself into the city of superlatives with the best shopping experiences, most luxurious hotels, tallest skyscrapers, deepest pool, longest driverless metro system, largest garden etc. There is something here for every personality, from the adrenaline junkie, to the shopaholic and the calm and composed.

The diversity of the city is unmatched. The pinnacle of Emirati hospitality with every expat’s culture are intertwined beautifully. Cuisines, festivals and events are held celebrating the multicultural hot pot that is the metropolis of Dubai and the UAE overall. On National Day 2019, Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, set the record with a whopping 145-plus nationalities onboard its A380 flight.

Another momentous occasion to celebrate this year is the first anniversary of Metrolife magazine. Last year in July, this glossy tabloid came into existence to shed light on all the happenings around Dubai for those who love the finer things in life. Through the bad times towards the greater times that await us, Metrolife has evolved so much in just one year. Starting as a weekly publication during the pandemic, we were able to sustain and see the light, and the magazine has become synonymous with readers to feed them their plans for the next month. Join us in celebrating Dubai and commemorating Metrolife’s first birthday with a whole new list of things to do across the city.

The year looks bright and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.