The world’s biggest shopping malls have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and while many are now opening their doors once more, shopping now looks drastically different. Click or scroll through to see the most incredible shopping malls on the planet before and during coronavirus.

Mall of the Emirates in Dubai was the world's first ever shopping resort, costing over 800 million Emirati Dirham, which was equivalent to $218 million at the time. The multi-level complex features around 630 international brands across more than 250,000 square feet (233,467 square metres) of shopping space. The mall is packed full of luxury goods with over 80 of the world's most renowned designed brands housed in the Luxury Wing. 

The real gem is the world-renowned Ski Dubai, the Middle East's first indoor ski resort and snow park. You can even book to have a Penguin Encounter where you can have "up-close and personal interaction" with the birds. For those looking for more traditional entertainment, the mall also has a 14-screen VOX Cinema and Magic Planet family entertaining area, which includes activities such as bowling.

However, things have taken a turn for the worst lately. The mall was forced to close its doors when, on 23 March, Dubai residents were told to only leave their homes for emergencies and the mall was left deserted.

During the month of Ramadan (23/24 April to 23/24 May), lockdown was loosened and shops and businesses were allowed to return at 30% capacity, although demand has been slow and many businesses are still making layoffs. The Mall's cinema is still closed, but it has started running a pandemic-friendly drive-in cinema (pictured) since early May. 

Now read about the drive-thru COVID-19 revolution

This shopping mall in Hawaii makes the most of the state's good weather, and is the largest open-air mall in the world. Built in 1959 on former swampland, the Ala Moana Shopping Centre has done well to hold onto this title. The mall also boasts one of the world’s largest food courts. The Makai Market food court was built in 1987, 28 years after the centre first opened.

The cost to build the mall in 1959 was around $25 million, the equivalent of $220 million (£180m) in today's money. And the centre has since been boosted by a $1 billion investment in 2004. As of 2018, the mall was valued at $8 billion (£6.4bn), making it the most valuable mall in the US, although its value may have declined since then...

Visitor numbers started to dwindle mid-March as the fear of coronavirus took hold, causing the mall to reduce its opening hours. It officially shut its doors on 23 March, meaning that deserted scenes like this became the norm. However, restaurants offering takeout and delivery, as well as healthcare services, grocery stores and banks with exterior entrances in the centre were allowed to remain open. The mall reopened on 15 May, from 11am to 7pm during the week and 12pm to 6pm at weekends, with measures such as hand sanitising stations and social distancing directions. But it will be some time before visitor numbers reach pre-pandemic levels. According to a survey of Hawaii businesses, 76% of jobs in the retail sector were lost between January and April.

Thailand's Siam Paragon in Bangkok is the ideal spot for some retail therapy. The mall here was built at a cost of about $350 million in 2005 on the site where the Siam Intercontinental Hotel used to stand. This Bangkok mall is one of the largest in Asia and has an impressive offering...

Visitors can choose to spend at Givenchy or Prada, or do some window shopping at Rolls-Royce. It's not just shopping that's on offer, though, as the mall also has its own Siam Ocean World Aquarium. Not only that, the complex also offers an opera hall, a luxury hotel, an art gallery, an exhibition area, a cinema, and a bowling alley.

After Thailand went into a state of emergency on 26 March, all but essential shops were ordered to close. On 17 May, Siam Paragon reopened with new health and safety regulations, including requiring visitors to check-in and check-out of the mall via a government-mandated security platform, requiring visitors to wear masks, and implementing UV-C technology for deep cleaning.

On top of that, robots are being used to patrol and report unmasked visitors, as well as carrying out temperature checks and reporting them in the case of high temperatures. At this restaurant in the mall, diners can eat opposite companions without worrying about the risk of infection, separated by a clear plastic screen.

Behold, the largest mall in the United States: the Mall of America. The super-complex is home to more than 520 stores, staffed by 11,000 employees year-round, hosting more than 42 million visitors annually. Among its attractions are a supersized LEGO Store, indoor roller coasters at Nickelodeon Universe – the largest indoor theme park in the United States – as well as fish-spotting at Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium and virtual tours of the United States at Fly Over America.

And that's not all. More than 7,000 people have got married at the Mall of America. Even more surprisingly, the Mall of America used to have a high school. In total, it cost more than $650 million to build the Mall of America in 1992, the equivalent of $1.2 billion (£980m) in today's money, while the shopping centre's expansion in 2014 cost an additional $325 million (£265m). It’s estimated it generates almost $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in annual revenue for the state of Minnesota.

Or at least it did, until coronavirus hit. Deserted scenes like this suddenly became commonplace as the majority of stores were forced to close when Minnesota declared a state of emergency on 13 March. The mall reopened on 10 June – later than planned – due to nationwide civil unrest in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Just 150 out of a total 500 stores opened their doors, leaving some shoppers disappointed to find that their favourite store was shut. According to Jill Renslow, senior vice president of business development, speaking to the StarTribune: "Parking spaces have been reduced by 50% [which] should keep the number of mall visitors at about 35% capacity". The mall usually has 150,000 visitors a day, which would mean around 52,500 visitors a day would be the maximum capacity right now. 

This shopping centre is the second largest in the UK by retail size with 280 shops and services for customers to enjoy. While brands and labels vary, some of the more popular stores are the department stores Selfridges and John Lewis. Yet it's the architecture that gives this mall its wow factor. The Dome (pictured) cost $6.1 million (£5m) for a start. And there are lots of Venetian marble beauties for you to have a look at too. 

The themed food court called the Orient is the largest in the UK, with a design that incorporates styles from around the world including New Orleans, China, Egypt, Italy, America and Morocco. The centre took 27 months to build and cost £600 million in 1998. That's the equivalent of £1 billion ($1.2bn) in today's money. In 2011 the site was sold for £1.65 billion ($2bn), which is the largest single property acquisition in British history. The centre welcomes 30 million visitors every year.

It's an entirely different story today, though. Pictured here in March, the Trafford Centre lacks its usual hustle and bustle and appears eerily empty. It was ordered to close on 23 March when the UK went into lockdown, although non-essential shops were able to open from 15 June. 

Things have gone from bad to worse. On 26 June, the Trafford Centre's owner and landlord Intu collapsed into administration. Intu had previously suggested it was requesting an 18-month standstill agreement on its £4.5 billion ($5.5bn) debts, but could not persuade lenders in time. With the UK's economy now in recession, it's unclear what the impact will be on retail more generally, and so the fate of many shopping centres such as the Trafford Centre hangs in the balance. 

Built inside The Venetian Hotel & Casino and The Palazzo in 1999, this Las Vegas Strip shopping mall experience offers a once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience. For those of you who haven’t been to the Grand Canal Shoppes before, there’s something a little different about how you’ll be travelling, as the mall comes complete with gondola rides. 

The build of the elaborate hotel and shopping mall totalled $1.5 billion in 1999, the equivalent of $2.3 billion (£1.9bn) in today's money. The developers sold the Grand Canal Shoppes mall in 2004 for $1.4 billion (£1.1bn). However, the mall still sits within the luxury hotels. For shoppers who wish to make the most of the experience, suites can cost as much as $10,000 (£8k) per night.

As you can see here, visitors can now take a gondola ride once more, so long as they bring their face mask. However, the broader impact of coronavirus on the tourist-dependent state of Nevada could be far-reaching. With 18.4% of its GDP coming from tourism, and a further 40% coming from leisure and hospitality, a speedy recovery will be needed to bring the state's economy back to life. 

Since it opened almost 12 years ago, Westfield London has welcomed over 250 million visitors and generates around $1.2 billion (£1bn) in sales every year. And in 2018 it got even bigger. Costing $848 million (£600 million), the expansion has made the mall the largest retail centre in Europe. Opening six months ahead of schedule, it has increased the total footprint of the centre to 2.6 million square feet (252,000 square metres) of letting space. 

As part of the grand opening, department store giant John Lewis celebrated opening its 50th UK store. A dedicated new outdoor events space has also opened, with a focus on alfresco dining. The expansion also included KidZania, an indoor city play experience for children who take on real-life 'jobs'. 

As part of lockdown measures lifting across the country, on 15 June the West London shopping centre fully reopened its doors, with new measures in place including a one-way system for directing the flow of people, separate entrances and exits, hand sanitising stations and increasingly regular cleaning procedures.

On the opening day visitors noted long queues, especially outside budget clothing store Primark, as well as Apple and Louis Vuitton. There were extra security staff across the shopping centre, as well as a security guard outside each store ensuring limits of the number of shoppers inside were adhered to. However, things are looking gloomy for the British high street, with many chains entering administration, and stores having to slash prices in an attempt to lure shoppers back. 

It’s estimated it cost $1.2 billion to build the biggest shopping centre in North America in 1981, the equivalent of $3.4 billion (£2.8bn) in today's money. The size of 104 football fields, the Canadian shopping mall was actually the biggest in the world until 2004. Shopping might the last thing you’d want to be do here as this shopping mall is home to the world’s largest indoor amusement park – Galaxyland – which has more than 24 rides to enjoy.

And that’s not the only world record holder in the building. The mall also boasts the world’s largest indoor wave pool. There’s also a casino, dinner theatre, 18-hole mini-golf course, ice rink, world-class hotel and the small matter of more than 800 stores in the space of 48 city blocks. This is one place you really can shop, play and stay.

Yet scenes during the pandemic are a far cry from the shopping mall's usual busy atmosphere. As Canada went into lockdown on 18 March, non-essential stores were forced to shut, which led to Canadian retail sales plummeting by a record 26.4% in April according to Statistics Canada. When non-essential stores in Alberta were allowed to reopen on 14 May, many shoppers headed to West Edmonton Mall and queues were seen outside a number of stores, although others remained closed.

Opening in 2008, this mall is part of the $20 billion (£16bn) Downtown complex. And with 120 restaurants and 1,200 shops (70 are exclusively set aside for haute couture) this complex is more like a mid-sized city. Visitors can enjoy the 76,000-square-foot SEGA indoor theme park, or keep kids entertained at KidZania, which is part of the chain that is also present at the Westfield shopping mall in London.

The mall also has Dubai’s largest Cineplex – Reel Cinemas – with 22 screens, and the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre where visitors can see nearly 33,000 sea creatures. Named the top attraction in the city of Dubai by US News & World Report, The Dubai Mall unsurprisingly has a lot of visitors, drawing in 80 million visitors every year. That means that it takes the title of the most visited mall in the world.

During the pandemic, thousands of mall workers were redeployed as fulfillment centre workers, to cater for a shift towards online shopping. Dubai Mall opened a virtual store on e-commerce website noon.com, with a spokesperson for Emaar Malls, the company which owns the mall, saying: “The COVID-19 situation and its impact on the global economy call for us to rally our strengths and identify new measures that take into consideration the social and economic realities.”

At the end of April, the mall reopened with increased security and safety measures in place. This includes testing visitors' temperatures with a "temperature gun" on entry, which is hardly the usual customer service you'd expect from a luxury shopping centre.

Read more: Open for business, what the 'new normal' looks like now