A popular holiday destination for British tourists has opened the world’s first 24/7 women-only beach, including a fenced-off perimeter and lighting for night swimming. While Britons may still be wary of heading to Dubai amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the UAE city is hoping to lure more holidaymakers to the world-first coastal spot.
The Dubai Municipality opened the fully-enclosed beach at Al Mamzar Corniche this month, as part of the wider Al Mamzar Beaches Initiative, worth around £100million. The city already operated ladies-day beaches, restricting entry to women and young children only on select days of the week, but the new development marks a world-first in providing non-stop 24-hour access to female members of the public.
The spot offers complete visual privacy from all sides, a dedicated sports club area, children’s play areas and AI-supported surveillance systems for security purposes.
Al Mamzar Corniche spans around 2.75 million square feet, and also comprises a key part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, aimed at bringing over seven million visitors to the UAE coastline each year.
The enclosed stretch is staffed entirely by women, including security guards and specialist lifeguards.
While boys aged under six are permitted entry, those aged above are not, with men also strictly prohibited at all times.
Dubai has long been a popular holiday destination for British tourists, with around 1.3million visiting last year, and also boasts a large expat population.
Among the other infrastructure recently unveiled at Al Mamzar is a first-of-its-kind floating walkway, allowing visitors to walk between the Corniche and Lagoon.
The beach also now boasts a 300-metre stretch reserved for night-time swimming, decked out with high-intensity floodlights, lifeguards and emergency call points.
New padel courts, outdoor gym spaces and watersports rental zones are among the other improved seaside offerings designed to attract more holidaymakers.
In yet another world-first, for a city that is no stranger to treading its own path, Dubai also announced plans for a “gold street”, in a nod to its position as the second-largest gold trading destination around the globe, earlier this year.
The new pedestrian area will turn the phrase “streets paved with gold” into a reality in the Deira district, with development expected to conclude later in late 2026.
