TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The observation deck on the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, has now become another must-do on the itineraries of most tourists visiting Dubai, and its residents. According to our poll, 31 percent of the respondents say that they are thrilled about visiting the tower’s observation deck. Another 42 percent claim that they would not attempt the experience anytime soon because of the massive crowds.

The Empire State Building. The Petronas Towers. Lincoln Cathedral. The list of those buildings that have been ranked as the tallest in the world gained a new number one on Monday this week with the official opening of the Burj Dubai, now renamed the Burj Khalifa in honour of the current president of the UAE. Five years and £2.5bn in the constructing, this 828-metre (2,717ft) skyscraper supersedes its predecessor – the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan – by an astonishing 309 metres.

Robert, 47, from France, said he had set his sights on his next project - the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, which was officially launched on Jan 4. “I will do many other climbs in between. I know the people of Dubai, they are interested (in seeing him scale the Burj Khalifa), but I do not know when they will allow me to do the attempt. "And also the problem in Dubai is the hot weather of up to 40 degrees (celcius), it doesn’t seem that I’ll be able to do it. Then, I’ll have to do it at another year, maybe in between January and April 2011,” he said.

You know the old saying about all work and no play? Well there’s now the chance for plenty of both for youngsters growing up in the UAE with the launch of KidZania in Dubai Mall. The high-tech 80,000-square foot plot is an interactive ‘city’ in which children of all ages can become anything from a surgeon, to a pilot - even a lowly journalist in the course of the day.

WET, the creator of community experiences using nature's elements, has unveiled the world's largest water fountain at the newly opened Burj Dubai skyscraper. WET was commissioned by Emaar Properties to design a range of water features that would make the Burj Dubai property a standout, celebrating the multi-use tower as a 'must-see' destination.

On 4 January 2010, the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, opened in Dubai, attracting a sizable amount of media interest. Between 2 January and 8 January 2010, 20 articles appeared in the British press on the subject.

One man’s attempt to link the Burj Khalifa’s height with a pioneer of German Romanticism.

Imagine the scene: we’re amid one of the worst recessions the world has ever seen. We’ve just crossed into a new decade and are clutching at the very short straws of hope that things might get better in 2010. Four days in, the world’s tallest building opens in our home town. It meets its third deadline and has been constructed in just five years, with one fatality and 23 million hours of labour completed without injury. Its true height is kept secret right until the launch, and is 10 metres higher than everyone thought. Its new name is announced right at the last minute.

What a building! What a launch! I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the Burj Khalifa last week and it was certainly worth making the six-hour trip from London.

DUBAI - It’s natural to be excited about heading for the tallest observation deck in the world, on the 124th floor of the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, which is 828 metres tall. But for 14 people on Saturday evening, that excitement turned into fear as the elevator got stuck, five days after the tower’s inauguration.