Two Britons were jailed in Dubai today after losing their appeal against a conviction for kissing in a restaurant.

Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Lewis, 25, were arrested in November and accused of kissing, touching each other intimately and consuming alcohol. The pair – who are not a couple – insist they merely kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting.

…

In 2008, a British couple narrowly escaped jail in Dubai after being found guilty of engaging in drunken sexual activity out of wedlock and in public. This year, a British couple who shared a Dubai hotel room produced a marriage certificate to escape trial for having sex out of wedlock. Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian.

Having sex in a hotel room, kissing in public – criminal offences – why on earth would anyone wish to visit such a country? It’s not as if it has great historical significance – from what I can see it’s but a Disney land for the rich.