The Wonders of Dubai

[Simbagal23]

I don't understand who is going to go to Dubai. They talk about it as a global travel destination, yet I just don't see Americans and Europeans going. Am I off base here?

I think Europeans do....we have some German friends who honeymooned there and absolutely loved it. They went there because other German friends raved about it......like you (and others), it doesn't interest me at all. I'd much rather go to Italy, France or Greece, to name a few.....

[jim]

I don't understand who is going to go to Dubai. They talk about it as a global travel destination, yet I just don't see Americans and Europeans going. Am I off base here?

I think Europeans do....we have some German friends who honeymooned there and absolutely loved it. They went there because other German friends raved about it......like you (and others), it doesn't interest me at all. I'd much rather go to Italy, France or Greece, to name a few.....

Germans are just getting sick of getting kicked around in Europe. I'm sort of serious - I've detected a definite anti-German sentiment in the places I have been to in Europe - France in particular. I'm not sure what is up with that, or even if what I perceived is real.

[clement]

I don't understand who is going to go to Dubai. They talk about it as a global travel destination, yet I just don't see Americans and Europeans going. Am I off base here?

This is just based on my own observation... I don't have any actual stats to back it up. But it seems that Americans and Europeans go there if they are going on business trips or conferences. They will often take their family and stay in one of these luxury hotels and probably extend their trip a bit. But a lot of people from the region (Middle-east and south Asia) are taking vacations there. I think dill hits it on the head that it might have a lot to do with what you're used to. And also he says that it will be a popular tourist destination. He may be right. Because right now, it seems like half the city is under construction. That's not exactly an appealing destination. But once all of these projects are completed (in 20 years or so), it might look and feel completely different.

But I think for most Westerners, places like Egypt, Jordan and Israel are much more desirable destinations in the Middle-East. But I guess when it comes to safety issues, Americans will probably feel much more comfortable in UAE. To me it's an awful long distance to travel to see fancy hotels, skyscrapers, and shopping centers. But there is no doubt that you can stay in a club-med kind of atmosphere, with private (though fake) beaches, wonderful accommodations, fantastic food, and easy access to very nice shopping centers. Add in an indoor ski slope, waterslides, and maybe a day trip to the desert to do some sand 4-wheeling, and you have yourself a pleasant little Vegas-ish/Disney-ish holiday. If that's the kind of getaway you seek, you can definitely get it in Dubai.

Take all of my comments with the proper grain of salt. I don't like Waikiki Beach either and my recent trip to the Gold Coast in Australia was equally unimpressive. I don't do cruises and I avoid resorts unless they are really close by and only for a 1 or 2 night quick getaway. I look for either an exciting and vibrant city, or history, or beauty, or nature. Sitting on a private and unnaturally pristine but crowded beach with a bunch of rich tourists under an umbrealla being served pina colladas all day does not appeal to me at all.

[phins]

Sitting on a private and unnaturally pristine but crowded beach with a bunch of rich tourists under an umbrealla being served pina colladas all day does not appeal to me at all.

You have just described exactly what my girlfriend wants to do on our honeymoon.

Ugh. I want to go somewhere with history, culture, a great nightlife, incredible food, memories of things I can't imagine.

Instead, I'll have memories of an all-inclusive yawn fest getting burned all day.

[jim]

I don't understand who is going to go to Dubai. They talk about it as a global travel destination, yet I just don't see Americans and Europeans going. Am I off base here?

This is just based on my own observation... I don't have any actual stats to back it up. But it seems that Americans and Europeans go there if they are going on business trips or conferences. They will often take their family and stay in one of these luxury hotels and probably extend their trip a bit. But a lot of people from the region (Middle-east and south Asia) are taking vacations there. I think dill hits it on the head that it might have a lot to do with what you're used to. And also he says that it will be a popular tourist destination. He may be right. Because right now, it seems like half the city is under construction. That's not exactly an appealing destination. But once all of these projects are completed (in 20 years or so), it might look and feel completely different.

But I think for most Westerners, places like Egypt, Jordan and Israel are much more desirable destinations in the Middle-East. But I guess when it comes to safety issues, Americans will probably feel much more comfortable in UAE. To me it's an awful long distance to travel to see fancy hotels, skyscrapers, and shopping centers. But there is no doubt that you can stay in a club-med kind of atmosphere, with private (though fake) beaches, wonderful accommodations, fantastic food, and easy access to very nice shopping centers. Add in an indoor ski slope, waterslides, and maybe a day trip to the desert to do some sand 4-wheeling, and you have yourself a pleasant little Vegas-ish/Disney-ish holiday. If that's the kind of getaway you seek, you can definitely get it in Dubai.

Take all of my comments with the proper grain of salt. I don't like Waikiki Beach either and my recent trip to the Gold Coast in Australia was equally unimpressive. I don't do cruises and I avoid resorts unless they are really close by and only for a 1 or 2 night quick getaway. I look for either an exciting and vibrant city, or history, or beauty, or nature. Sitting on a private and unnaturally pristine but crowded beach with a bunch of rich tourists under an umbrealla being served pina colladas all day does not appeal to me at all.

I'm pretty much the same way clement. I don't think I would drive 4 hours out of my way to see Dubai, let alone travel half way around the world. But like I said I do understand the appeal of these places for some, it's just not for me. So if it's a Vegas type of thing for people from the region I guess I understand, but if they truly need the global traveler to survive it will fall spectacularly on it's face.

[clement]

I don't understand who is going to go to Dubai. They talk about it as a global travel destination, yet I just don't see Americans and Europeans going. Am I off base here?

I think Europeans do....we have some German friends who honeymooned there and absolutely loved it. They went there because other German friends raved about it......like you (and others), it doesn't interest me at all. I'd much rather go to Italy, France or Greece, to name a few.....

Germans are just getting sick of getting kicked around in Europe. I'm sort of serious - I've detected a definite anti-German sentiment in the places I have been to in Europe - France in particular. I'm not sure what is up with that, or even if what I perceived is real.

I think that's correct. It's definitely true in Italy as well. I think it has mainly to do with the resentment toward what Germany has done to the continent the past 100 years (2 world wars). I was with a friend in Sicily who is American but of German descent (and he looks it) and we'd walk along the beach and some guys would be muttering "Tedesco" under their breath with a snarly look on their face. But when I've gone there with Chinese friends, the people are as warm and inviting as can be. Also the German stereotype personality is a little colder than much of the rest of European cultures, especially Mediterranean culture, so maybe it's a bit of this difference that leads to some of the prejudice. And Germans can be awfully blunt sometimes, which to other cultures not used to this, can be misinterpreted as rude.

[Freed Roger]

Hey Clem -how hot is it in Dubai? I'm assuming it gets hotter than Vegas. Vegas is desert, but its high desert -thus its not always scorching.

because you mention its not a place for pedestrians to enjoy looking at skyscrapers (like a downtown Chicago or NY etc) Thus I'm wondering if the mega-planners for Dubai just figured walking around in the heat isn't something they figured their tourist demographic would want to do.

[clement]

So if it's a Vegas type of thing for people from the region I guess I understand, but if they truly need the global traveler to survive it will fall spectacularly on it's face.

They're much smarter than that. They aren't trying to build an economy based on tourism. They are trying to build an economy based on finance and commerce, and with that, attracting events (conferences, conventions, meetings, etc.). Building attractive hotels and some tourist attractions will make it a more attractive location to hold such events. So this feeds the tourism industry, but it's not a tourism industry by itself. Even places like Vegas and Orlando do this now, though it might not have been that way in the beginning. They are also investing in other things as well including healthcare tourism and trying to set themselves up as an education hub (attracting schools and students from around the region (and beyond) to live and study there). I'm talking about Abu Dhabi and Dubai both here. I am more famililar with the specifics of Abu Dhabi than Dubai, but I've worked with tourism agencies in both places. I think they will both be successful, even if what they do is not appealing to me personally. But I don't think Dubai will become the tourism destination of the future.

I do think there is a small danger that Dubai is a bubble and it could burst. I doubt this will happen, but unlike Abu Dhabi, Dubai does not have the oil reserves to guard itself against such a thing happenning. Right now there is so much property being developed in Dubai without a real guarantee that there will be enough people and money to support it long-term. I'm not betting against it, but I do think there is a small chance that they are racing ahead too quickly without knowing for sure that it will all pay off in the end.

[phins]

Clement is right, Dubai is very much a center for Finance and commerce, with close to half of their active living population from foreign descent. Mostly European and Asian...

[clement]

Hey Clem -how hot is it in Dubai? I'm assuming it gets hotter than Vegas. Vegas is desert, but its high desert -thus its not always scorching.

because you mention its not a place for pedestrians to enjoy looking at skyscrapers (like a downtown Chicago or NY etc) Thus I'm wondering if the mega-planners for Dubai just figured walking around in the heat isn't something they figured their tourist demographic would want to do.

For a few months (May to Sept) it's scorching... like 90+ to 100+ degrees. But for some months it's actually pretty pleasant (Nov-Mar), and you need a jacket at night and even some days. It's not really typical desert because it's on the sea, so there is also a good deal of humidity (not the typical dry heat you associate with desert). I'm sure that was part of their thinking, but honestly I don't think they did a great deal of planning at the beginning. That's why the traffic situation is so bad. They have also spread the city out considerably making it a pretty heavy trek from one area to another. They are now building a subway but it will still be several years before it's operational.

But in general, I think you're right. Most tourists in Dubai go to their hotel and usually stay there most of the time except when they take a taxi to one of the shopping centers. The hotels are spectacular and usually have 5 or 10 quality restaurants in them. They are also often attached to shopping centers. So you can go to Dubai and spend most of the time indoors at your hotel complex. For me, that's very unappealilng, but i'm sure for many it's perfectly fine.

Clement is right, Dubai is very much a center for Finance and commerce, with close to half of their active living population from foreign descent. Mostly European and Asian...

It's much more than 50% though. According to the most recent census (2006, wikipedia), only 17% of the 1.4 million people in Dubai are Emaratis. The remaining 83% are mostly Asian (and among those, mostly South Asian though also quite a large number of Filipinos and Chinese too). Westerners only represent about 3% of the population. They tend to be in rather high-paying positions, whereas the Asian expats are spread pretty much across the whole gamut of sectors from construction workers, food & beverage, and hotel staff, to professionals in business and finance. About 1 million of the 1.4 million people are men, which means that the vast majority of expats who move to Dubai to work are men. (probably because of the huge numbers of jobs in the construction sector).

The population and demographics are roughly the same in Abu Dhabi.