Into its Luxembourg-sized patch of beach and desert, Dubai has already packed such attractions as the world's largest man-made port, its tallest and most luxurious hotel, its most capacious-ever shopping bag (certified by Guinness), and some of the flashiest events on funsters' racing and golfing calendars.

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The 31-storey Gold Strike Casino Hotel is the tallest building in the state.

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The 22-story Park Hotel, the tallest building in China when it opened in 1934, looms over People's Square -- once the oval of the city's horse-racing track.

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In Dubai, you will find the tallest building in the world, the first-ever seven-star hotel and the biggest indoor ski slope.

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People now have more money to spend, and some of them go to the new Shangri-La-run hotel at the top of the China World Tower, Beijing's tallest building.

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The Mecca Clock Royal Tower Hotel, with more than 800 rooms, occupies what will soon be the world's second-tallest building, a structure incorporating the world's biggest clock, with faces at least six times the size of Big Ben's, and capped by a spire topped with a golden crescent.

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