Dubai: From jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet above the Palm Jumeirah to racing an Aston Martin GT4 around Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit, the UAE is home to a huge range of options for people seeking a completely unique adrenaline rush.
The country's natural landscape and iconic architecture allows residents and tourists the opportunity to engage in a wide range of adventure sports such as bashing a 4x4 over desert dunes and even skiiing within the confines of a shopping mall.
Local businesses have been quick to get involved in the adventure sports market and there is increasing competition among rival tour operators for a healthy stake in this burgeoning niche sector.
"In particular, Dubai is a special city where you can do a lot of things," said Samir Abbas, chief executive officer of Extreme Adventure Dubai. "It has always been portrayed as a shopping destination but it is fast becoming an adventure tourism hub in its own right with a huge range of activities on offer such as skydiving and dune buggying," he added.
Tourism
Extreme Adventure Dubai began operations in 2005 but suffered during the global financial downturn as the number of tourists holidaying in Dubai and Abu Dhabi dwindled.
However, Abbas says things are beginning to get back on track and he remains optimistic that the business climate will continue to improve over the next six months.
"We did very well in 2010 and 2011 has also been a good year so far considering the peak tourist season will start after Ramadan in August. We sell approximately 800-1,000 trips every month although we anticipate this will drop during August despite the cheaper hotel rates and air fares on offer during the summer," he added.
Abbas says Extreme Adventure Dubai caters specifically to the high end of the market. "They do not want to go on a desert safari and share a 4x4 with other people; they want something that has been specially organised for them, which is why we are the only company to provide Hummers on the [desert safari] excursion," he said.
One of the most sought-after adventure sports in the UAE is skydiving with one of the main reasons for its popularity being Skydive Dubai's unique drop zone above the Palm Jumeirah. Alan Gayton, the operations manager of Skydive Dubai, says adventure sports can be a great way for people to unwind after a busy week at the office.
Stress
"I think part of the reason that adventure sports are becoming more popular is due to the state of the global economy and the fact that people are stressed at work," Gayton said.
"We do not have any direct competition on the skydiving front here in the UAE and the other sports all have their own niche markets.
Furthermore, all the companies tend to help each other out in order to allow tourists and residents the opportunity to try as many different activities as possible," he added. Gayton says the adventure sports market is poised to grow even bigger in the UAE over the next few years.
Furthermore, Skydive Dubai is scheduled to host the 2011 and 2012 world championships as well as the world's largest formation skydive in 2013.
It is not just in the air, however, that thrill-seekers can get their adrenaline fix. At ground level, the UAE is also home to a number of world class facilities for motor sports enthusiasts. Dubai Autodrome, which is located next to Dubai Motor City, provides a range of experiences including the chance to sample the speed of an Audi TT turbo or a Subaru STI Impreza.
Paul Velasco, the communications manager at Dubai Autodrome, says the Dubai's tourism sector has benefited from the political unrest elsewhere in the region, because tourists have headed for Dubai instead of other places in the region.
Velasco says the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has helped to increase awareness of the city's adventure sports scene by actively marketing Dubai as an adventure destination on an international level.
Abu Dhabi is also getting in on the action with the Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the annual Etihad Airways Formula 1 Grand Prix, at the epicentre of the capital's adventure sports activities.
