Until February this year, when the conflict between Israel/US and Iran effectively halted holidays to the Gulf region, the Middle East had been the world’s fastest growing region for tourism. And while there’s still some uncertainty over travel to the Middle East, it has eased significantly since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June – and British tourists are already heading back to the sun-drenched playgrounds of Dubai, Saudi and Egypt. The UK Foreign Office has removed advice against all but essential travel to the UAE, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but warns the situation remains ‘unpredictable’ and could change quickly. The same ‘safe to travel’ advice applies in the majority of Saudi Arabia, including in the capital Riyadh, as well as in Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar. On the ground, tourism authorities are suggesting that it’s now near normal in many of the Middle East’s most popular destinations, with luxury hotels, retail temples and big-name restaurants all taking a ‘business as usual’ approach. Unsurprisingly, there are still some significant savings to be found on holidays, with prices in the UAE down more than 25 per cent on last year according to TravelSupermarket data compiled for the BBC recently. So, if you’re planning a trip back to the Middle East this winter, where to go? Here, we cast an eye across the biggest holiday destinations in the Middle East – and the fast-emerging ones – and offer our verdict on which ones offer a stylish sojourn under the Arabian sun…and the nouveau riche outposts to avoid…THE UAEDUBAI – TACKY The Rooneys – along with seemingly every other ex footballer and Premier League star in the land – are confirmed Dubai devotees; the family pictured posing with the Burj Al ArabVery much the Middle East OG when it comes to high-octane tourism playgrounds, Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, has proven irresistible nectar for nouveau riche Brits whose main holiday ambition is to look like they’ve made it in life. This shimmering, super-luxe metropolis puts perpetual blue skies (let’s not mention the brutal summers), five-star hotels, couture shopping, faux snow ski slopes and more theme parks than any city needs (six major ones at the last count) on the menu. It’s reasonably cheap to stay in decadence too – a week’s all-inclusive stay at the five-star Al Bandar Rotana Creek in mid September currently costs just over £900 per person including flights – and Dubai’s shimmering skyline, high-glamour chain restaurants and man-made beaches will add an instant bougie boost to your social media accounts.Look away if you’re a fan… for despite the shiny outward opulence, Dubai sends the bad taste barometer off the scale. It’s gaudy, mainstream and its unwavering obsession with modernity means it’s largely a culture-free zone. Add in Dubai’s dispiritingly dubious approach to its migrant workers, who largely hold up the Emirati city’s tourism industry, and the oft-reported sleazy underbelly of prostitution – including allegations of degrading ‘Porta Potty’ sex parties – and suddenly it doesn’t feel quite so glossy. ABU DHABI – TACKYOnce riding on the coattails of Dubai’s tourism success, Abu Dhabi is now a bona fide tourist destination in its own right – and has grand plans to entice nearly 40 million visitors to the largest Emirate by 2030. The city has thrown billions at carving out a more cultured path than its UAE sibling, making mega museums its personal Middle Eastern pet project. It already has the Louvre, an outpost of the Paris museum that is a vision of polished concrete and flowing water (and probably more secure than its European counterpart) and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. And the Zayed National Museum (ZNM) and the Natural History Museum, on Saadiyat Island, opened in December.Somehow, though, for all the prestigious names Abu Dhabi has managed to bring to the desert, it still feels like a billionaire’s shopping list is simply being ticked off.Money can buy you collaborations, but it can’t snap up authenticity quite so easily. FUJAIRAH – TASTEFUL Lesser known but perfect for a peaceful UAE getaway, Fujairah has a breezier climate and a distinct lack of new money tourists Looking to see the UAE through a lower-key lens that doesn’t involve supercars and Michelin-starred dining?Then jet into Dubai… and leave by the nearest exit. Around 60 miles from the UAE ego-tropolis lies Fujairah, which turns the dial right down on ostentatious glamour in favour of more natural beaches, a Hajar mountains backdrop and a breezier climate. Great for families, there’s quieter resorts – on the pretty Gulf of Oman – with shallow waters plus stellar diving too, including interesting wrecks and the chance to get your PADI if you’re a beginner. Don’t miss the history museum in one-horse town Fujairah City either; it offers genuine insight into the UAE before the oil boom, when fishing and pearling were the main industries. RAS AL KHAIMAH – TASTEFULAgain, if you’re looking for high energy and holiday brags, then don’t signpost your trip to understated Ras Al Khaimah, for nature reigns supreme here. An hour from Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah is a world away, thanks to lush mangroves, a 64km coastline of golden beaches and the promise of desert excursions. How to spend your time? Go in the British winter and you can hike the dry riverbed valleys, including Wadi Ghalilah and Wadi Shawka. There’s also the small matter of the biggest mountain – at 1,934 metres, in the UAE. Part of the Hajar Mountain range, Jebel Jais gifts soul-stirring views and is home to one of the world’s longest zip-lines. Shoppers will love the Old Souk in Ras Al-Khaimah city and luxury isn’t off the menu entirely; there’s plenty of gorgeous coastal hotels to retreat to, which are often cheaper and less crowded than similar luxury loafing abodes in Dubai. JORDAN – TASTEFUL One hump or two? The ancient city of Petra in Jordan’s south – both the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are fans of the Middle Eastern kingdom Kate and William love this culture-rich Middle Eastern getaway; the Princess of Wales lived here as a child in the mid 1980s and the royals have since brought their own brood to holiday here. As of this month, it also holds a special place in the heart of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who visited the country’s capital, Amman, and the north on a quasi-royal visit last week.Regal connections aside, Jordan is arguably the coolest country in the Middle East because of its wind-blown movie set landscapes. You can spend a day or two touring Petra, the great Ancient City that has seen Hollywood directors incorporating its UNESCO Heritage status landscapes – including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Mummy Returns.Even better, that increasingly common sight in the Middle East, the Premier League footballer and his family clan, are nowhere to be seen. SAUDI ARABIA – TACKYWatch out Dubai, Saudi is coming for your visitors. The controversial and deeply conservative Arabian Peninsula state is going all out when it comes to trying to bag a bigger slice of the tourism pie. Its ‘build it and they will come’ mentality – outlined by Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s ruler, nearly a decade ago hasn’t quite gone to plan though. Despite promising to invest £75 billion into creating a variety of mega-projects, which took inspiration from everywhere from the Maldives to Florida, Saudi hasn’t made the progress it set out to – visitor figures at its futuristic Red Sea resorts have been unremarkable.Why? The small matter of a regressive human rights record won’t help…migrant workers building the five-star tourist palaces have continuously faced dangerous conditions, according to The Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC).And women are largely still viewed as second-class citizens – driving licences for females were only introduced in 2018, and male guardianship rules weren’t eased until two years after that. Homosexuality? Under Sharia Law, those caught engaging in a same-sex romance face capital punishment and flogging, amongst other draconian penalties.OMAN – TASTEFULThe thinking person’s Dubai, Oman’s capital, Muscat, has been an important trading port since the first century. Enveloped by mountains, deserts and the ocean, this low-rise country remains a timeless desert destination with bags of Arabian history.And holidaymakers can still get their fix of five-star hotels; singer Paloma Faith is a fan and there’s plenty of luxury resorts to check into…but this isn’t a destination to descend on if you want to see and be seen. Low-key and classy is the order of the day. EGYPTCAIRO – TASTEFUL The best museum in the world right now? The Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo is home to much of the country’s fascinating treasures including the death mask of TutankhamunChaotic, biblical and beautiful, Cairo isn’t for the faint-hearted – you will get hassled, but it is also a deeply authentic snapshot of modern and ancient Egypt. The tourists you’ll encounter are of a rather more bookish, learned variety – Dubai this definitely isn’t. You’ll come home feeling a little bit pleased with yourself. SHARM EL SHEIKH – TACKYA package holiday to the sun that’s light on culture and big on sunshine, you say? Step this way, Sharm El Sheikh, one of Egypt’s most popular beach resorts is just the ticket. A raft of all-inclusive hotels line the beachfront on the Sinai peninsula and they’re ideal if you want to flop-and-drop by the pool, buy camel and pyramid souvenirs and go home with a tan. QATAR – TACKYRoutinely hailed as the ‘new Dubai’ and a honeypot for British expats seeking tax-free earnings, Qatar, which held the football World Cup in 2022, certainly has plenty in common with its UAE sibling. Thanks to plentiful natural gas and oil reserves, it’s one of the world’s richest nations – and has a skyline in capital Doha that reflects its affluence. It also has a similar lust for glamour. TikTokers who’ve holidayed or made the move to the sovereign Arab country, which neighbours Saudi and Bahrain, gush over its luxurious shopping malls, steel-and-glass cloud-scraping towers and waterfront hotels, including posh brands such as Raffles and Mondrian. Fashionistas regularly descend too, particularly for the Fashion Trust Arabia Gala, which has helped to put Doha on the couture map. Despite Qatar’s investment in global events, there is, whisper it, not that much to do here…with those in the know suggesting it’s worth no more than a long transit stop, or a short break.