For the seasoned traveler looking for the best of the best in a five-star hotel, Dubai graciously offers a sumptuous feast for the senses. The hotels are a splendid combination of old-world hospitality and new-world extravagance, to make sure that the guest is pampered and rejuvenated, and made to feel like a movie star. With the boom in reputation as a truly international city, with rising stars not only in real estate and technology, but also in global culture, there are plenty of movie stars around. Although the beaches and the shopping malls are enough to keep one distracted in world-class comfort, there is a culture of celebrity here that will please the trained eye.
One place where the lives of the movie stars are published in a rich, glossy format is Ahlan! magazine. This is the premiere magazine for celebrity news and gossip, and it also covers glamour and fashion. The result is magnificent eye candy, where all the latest trends are covered with an eye toward global pop culture. Following the most current waves in glamour, international celebrities find their way here for their boldest fashion risks, and some succeed exceedingly, and some fail magnificently. There is no middle ground here, of course, and the magazine’s experts are incisive and curious, qualities that lead the way in today’s global marketplace. Although the stories cover some of the most visible superstars as they travel the globe, the focus is especially keen toward Dubai culture and nightlife. Local stars, international celebrities who are staying in town, and global superstars of Hollywood and Bollywood who have a strong presence in Dubai will find themselves well-represented in these pages. Ahlan! speaks to the pulse of the complex world of the UAE, in its pop guises.
There is also a strong local investment in Dubai. Ahlan! always covers the most recent news on the DWC, or Dubai World Cup. The DWC is not only the world’s richest horse race, it is also one of the pre-eminent places to see and be seen in the region. National and international figures attend, and their presence is photographed for the pleasure of the readership. In March, 2009, the magazine sponsored a Glamour Studio, where the celebrity attendees could have their images captured by photographers who specialize in glamour. The lines were reported to be up to an hour long, and well worth the wait, judging from the quality of the work displayed on the magazine’s pages.
