Dubai is turning “chavvy” as mass-market tourists overwhelm the emirate, according to a leading travel agent.

“Dubai is quite chavvy. Everyone has been there,” said a Trailfinders spokesman. “It is overdeveloped and colonised by Premier League footballers. But even they are beginning to move on.”

Discerning holidaymakers are turning to Oman, says the company, where UK tourism has quadrupled in the past four years to 125,000 annual visitors: “Oman is much more in touch with its Arabian routes. It is not so westernised. It is more traditional.”

Trailfinders and Kuoni, Britain’s leading long-haul operator, say demand for Oman has grown strongly this year, with particular interest in its handful of five-star hotels, pristine beaches and rugged interior – popular with trekkers.

Must-see attractions include the Al Hotta caves, some of the deepest in the world, and the Wahiba Sands, a dramatic dune dessert. “Oman is very different from Dubai,” said Alison Cryer, director of the UK Oman Tourist Office.

New Oman Air flights departing from Gatwick are beginning in November, starting at around £290. A four-night stay at a five-star hotel in Oman is from £479pp staying at the Shangri-La with Trailfinders.

About six million tourists visit Dubai each year, and numbers are forecast to reach 15 million by 2010. A tourist board spokeswoman said: “We are not surprised that continuously growing awareness of Dubai leads to greater understanding and interest in neighbouring emirates and countries.”

Details: Oman (www.omantourism.gov.om), Trailfinders (0845 0505871, www.trailfinders.com ).

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