Britain is trying to make sure its citizens are more nice than naughty while soaking up the Persian Gulf sun this holiday season.

A social media campaign by British Embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates running this week is a play on the classic poem 'T'was the Night Before Christmas, and includes travel advice aimed at keeping unwitting Britons out of trouble.

The rhyme, meant for visitors to Emirati cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, highlights potential cultural pitfalls through the eyes of a fictional traveller, Stu Nicholas.

A festive nugget: "No holding of hands or Christmas kisses; under the mistletoe, despite amorous wishes."

And also: "So time to go home after several spirits neat; but it's a crime for Stu to be drunk on the street."