Introduction
Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, located on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf; the city is only second to Abu Dhabi in terms of area. The city has a vibrant business atmosphere with revenue coming from various sources; these include tourism, the property industry and financial services (DHCC, 2000). Other sources are also available, however, the three mentioned rank as the most important. As such, the city attracts a large number of visitors; these flock the city for various reasons, including for recreation, business and seeking job opportunities.
Tourism in Dubai
Dubai is unique compared to other emirates of the UAE; this is due to the fact that only a small portion (about 6%) of the GDP is generated for the sale of fossil fuels; the rest comes from business and tourism activities. As such, the government of Dubai has adopted tourism as a major strategy for maintaining the flow of foreign currency into the economy of the emirate. Dubai has various attractions that form the basis for luring tourists from across the globe; this include ancient historical site, natural environment, man-made features and recreational activities; and shopping.
Natural Environment
As mentioned before, Dubai is a coastal city; therefore, the general elevation of most parts of the city is at sea level. The city lies in the Arabian Desert; this is made up mostly of sandy dune rather thanthan gravel common in other parts of the UAE [Aspinall]. Towards the coastline, the sand is mostly made up of crushed shell and coral; as such, the sand is mostly white and fine. Further inland, the sand dunes are much larger and have a red pigmentation conferred by iron oxide content of the sand in this region.
Running along the border between Dubai and Oman at Hatta are the Western Hajar Mountains that mark the end of the sandy desert towards this direction. The environment around these mountains is arid, and the landscape is rugged; points of the mountains rise as high as 1,300meters.
The Dubai creek is a natural inlet in a region that has no natural oases or rivers. Modifications have, however, been carried out on this creek. This includes dredging of the bed in order to allow large vessels to navigate deeper into the city from the coastline.
Some of the animal species that can be spotted in the Arabian Desert include the houbara bustard, striped hyena, caracal, desert fox, falcon, and Arabian Oryx. Additionally, during spring and autumn, Dubai lies in the path of migration of over 320 species of birds on transit between Africa, Europe and Asia. The warm waters of the Persian Gulf attract a large number of fish; more than 300 species have been recorded as being prevalent in the water of the Dubai coast.
The climate of Dubai is mostly hot; some parts of the year may be humid, however, the region is more or less dry through out the year. The episodes of rainfall, clustered around the three months of the year are usually short-lived and light. Rainfall may be heavy during these months; this however is not very common.
The Dubai Society
The society in Dubai is multicultural [Government of Dubai, 2006]; while the historical population of Dubai was homogeneous, various events led to the arrival of large numbers of immigrants for other parts of Asia and the world, resulting in the current diversity. The society however is largely Islamic; various practices and festivals are therefore a major event in the region’s calendar; such include the annual fast (Ramadan) and the end of the fast as marked by the Eid al Fitr.
As such, while visiting some of the sites, such as the Jumeirah Mosque, women are required to cover their arms, legs and heads in order to be allowed inside. This is in accordance to Islamic regulations regarding the dress code when entering the places of worship.
The Islamic society also influences the tourism industry; the month of Ramadan in particular affects the eating practices of even non-Muslims in the city during the time. For example, some of the catering establishments are closed during the day; others that are open have screened areas that allow non-Muslims to eat away from the sight of the fasting Muslims. As such, tourists are able to enjoy the cuisine with minimal effect of the fasting month. During this month, tourists are required to draw the curtains of the vehicles when eating and/or drinking during a period of transit from one venue to the other. While these are not official government sanctions, agencies handling tourists are urged to advise their clients accordingly so as to avoid clashes of culture between them and the local population.
Due to the large extent of development of financial services in the city, and the activities of the free port, Dubai is a relatively cosmopolitan destination; this has been augmented by widespread tourism activities. As such, activities that would be frowned upon or even restricted in other Islamic countries in the region are relatively acceptable in Dubai. For example, hotels are allowed to serve some alcoholic drinks.
Tourist Activities
Dubai as a destination has a wide range of activities that can fill the itinerary of the tourist. Such have been developed to suit mostly European and American tourists traveling either as a family, a couple or alone.
The Beach and Water sports
The round-the-year sunny weather experienced in Dubai puts it at a good position to attract tourists seeking to get away from a winter season back home. The emirate is also endowed with attractive beaches; additionally, major investment has been made to modify the beachhead through the creation of artificial waterways and islands.
Some of the water activities (other than swimming and sunbathing include the following: Scuba diving; the warm Persian Gulf water supports a wide range of tropical fish and corals. Sailing and windsurfing; most of the beachside establishment have personnel and equipment to train and/or facilitate enthusiasts of this hobbies. Water skiing is particularly popular for visitors to Dubai’s beaches. Another benefit of having a warm water ocean-front is the ability to fish in deep waters.
Apart from having very favorable water and weather conditions to support the need of a large number of tourists, Dubai also has the added advantage of being able to provide these amenities through out the year.
Investment has also been made to develop non-ocean water activities; this partly been spurred by the fact that other than the Dubai creek, there are no other inland waterways that may cater for the visitors who may want to have a wider range of such activities. A good example of such an investment is the Wild Wadi Wild Water Theme Park; located at a distance about twenty minutes drive for the city center, and between the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach hotels, this facility offers wild water activities equivalent to natural formations elsewhere in the world. The park is built on a twelve-acre plot; boast of thirty rides of varying complexity.
Desert adventures
As mentioned before, Dubai is generally a desert country; a few kilometers from the beachside, the sandy dunes are the major feature on the landscape. Many companies offer a wide range of activities carried out under the desert sky. Such include romantic dinners on the sand dune, rough riding on the dunes on four-wheel-drive vehicles (commonly known as dune or wadi bashing) and recreational motorcycles (such as the quad bike) and camping out in Bedouin camps (including in-camp activities such as barbeque and cultural dancers); and trekking on the back of a camel. Another popular desert activity is falconry; this is a traditional Arabia sport involving displays by trained falcons.
The desert adventure is usually designed to contrast the city atmosphere in Dubai; this is evident in some of the formulation of some of the products offered in such activities; for example, living in a traditional Bedouin tent as opposed to a conventional or a luxury hotel. In the provision of such a unique product is facilitated by the fact that a complete transformation from the extensively developed Dubai city and the complete desert wilderness is made within one hour of driving.
The city experience
Apart from the beach and the desert, the city also has its attractions for the tourist; one of the most important of these activities is shopping. Dubbed “the shopping capital of the middle east”, Dubai attracts a large number of shoppers from around the world [Pilotguides.com]. A distinction should be made, however, between people who travel to Dubai particularly to do shopping and those that shop as part of leisure activities. The former group is attracted in particular by the Jebel Ali Free Zone, serviced by the Jebel Ali port; this port allows foreign firms unrestricted free trade and export. While such has contributed to the commercial development of Dubai, it is not the main focus of tourist shopping.
The souks or the business districts are the major venues of tourist shopping. In addition to this, there also are many modern shopping malls and boutiques. These offer a wide range of products both indigenous to the Persian Gulf and the major international brands; especially fashion items.
The souks and departmental stores also stock a wide range of electronic products also from the leading global brands. In the modern establishments such as electronic shops, the prices usually fixed (as would in such establishments in any other part of the world); on the contrary, the prices of the products offered in the souks is usually negotiable; in fact, haggling is considered to be part of the tourist experience of shopping in Dubai. Haggling is usually well taken and friendly.
Under the auspices of shopping, a festival is held every year; during this period the whole city is transformed into one big shopping venue. In addition to the increased volume of trade, the festival is also decorated by musical performances and art exhibitions [MySDF].
Apart from shopping, tourists can also engage in other activities that are offered side-to-side with the shopping venues. Such include discotheques, bars and entertainment venues. Investment in the city amenities is extensive (and a bit whimsical); a good example of a surprising activity is skiing. Manmade skiing slopes are available in the Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai. Such services include provision of cold weather and skiing gear (as it’s obvious that a visitor to Dubai would not be prepared to ski in the middle of the desert!).
Another such establishment is the already mentioned Wild Wadi water park. Golf is also another attraction offered in Dubai; the warm weather makes this a year-round activity, and Dubai has several world-class golf resorts. Additionally, many travel packages offer sessions of golfing as part of the activities of the visit. The importance of golf as a commodity is the highly competitive Dubai open golf tournament which attracts the world’s greatest golfers.
Traveling
Dubai is well serviced by the aviation industry; boasting one of the most advanced and busiest airports in the world in the form of the Dubai International Airport, more than 120 airline operators are able to operate flights to and from over 260 destinations in the world. Additionally, in 2008, the airport handled over 37 million passengers and moved over a million tons of cargo [AMEinfo, 2008]. As such, many world capitals have at least one airline running a regular flight to Dubai. Most major cities of the world have daily flights to Dubai; with some having multiple departures every day.
Additionally, Dubai is the base of operation of the national UAE carrier, Emirates Airline. The operator has a modern fleet of aircrafts; and has scheduled flights to and from over 100 destinations all over the world. The airport is under constant development and expansion; with each completion conferring additional capacity and efficiency.
The transport system within the city is faced with the challenge of congestion; however, the Dubai government is taking steps to mitigate this situation. One of these initiatives is the monorail that was commissioned earlier this year on the Palm Jumeirah. The common method of getting across the city is via abras; these are small boats that ferry passengers along the Dubai creek.
The road system in Dubai is highly advanced; however, the expansions over the years have not kept up with the increase in the number of vehicles per year, thus leading to the congestion. Dubai boast among the most extensive taxi services with over seven thousand cabs operated both by private companies and civil authorities. This remains the most widely used form of public transport around the emirate.
Cuisine and Dining
Being a tourist destination, the cuisine is geared towards two directions; one is the indigenous Arabic food for a person who wants to experience the local cuisine; and international cuisine for the one who wants to eat their normal food but in a different setting.
The spicy Middle Eastern cuisine is very popular; and is available from the small diners known as shawarma to the high end restaurants common in many parts of the city. Additionally, due to the diversity of the inhabitants of the city, regional specialties such as Chinese and South Asians are also available alongside familiar European dishes.
Due to the cultural sensitivity in the consumption of some foods, there is control in how and where they are sold. For example, compared to other Islamic countries where the sale of pork is explicitly prohibited (and illegal), such can be sold in Dubai but under restrictions; pork can only be sold in certain areas and by non-Muslims [USDA, 2006]. Similarly, establishments are required to obtain a liquor license to sell any form of alcoholic beverage [NZT&E]; as such, bars are located within premises of large hotels rather than as independent establishments.
Tourism and Heritage
The economic strategy of Dubai and the emirates in general is to diversify their business away from oil generated revenues; tourism is set to be the biggest foreign exchange earner for the city. As such, the city has had to change some of their identity features so as to accommodate a cosmopolitan environment. Compared to other emirates, for example, the other emirates that make up the UAE, Dubai has arguably the least stringent rules as dictated by the Islamic culture, such as the sale of pork and alcohol within the territory.
This has also been necessitated by the endeavor by the government to create an environment that is conducive for international business. This has also been seen with the performance of various western artists, including Shakira, Celine Dion, Kylie Minogue and Coldplay. Such is restricted and/or prohibited in strictly Islamic countries. Dubai also has a renowned nightlife; and has been listed as a recommended venue for partying by the New York Times in 2008 [NYT, 2007].
Accommodation
Dubai is well endowed in terms of tourist accommodation; the city has a wide range of hotels, including a fair share of world-class hotels. All the major hotels chains are represented in the city, and they have put up world-class facilities to cater for the up market traveler. According to an article titled ‘Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to destination Development’ in volume 8 of The International Journal of Tourism Research in 2006, Joan Henderson also draws to attention the perception that Dubai is an expensive place to visit. This is especially in terms of accommodation.
Recently, there has been a development where tourists opt to rent apartments or villas rather than put up in hotels [dubaishortstay.com]. These are self catering and apparently cheaper than hotels which offer the whole range of boarding services.
Factors Drawing Tourists to Dubai
Many factors are responsible for the influx of tourists to Dubai every year; some of this work independently while others work in conjunction.
Push factors
These are the factors that cause the tourist leave behind his home country in favor of a short stay in Dubai. These are constituted by the normal factors that affect the entire tourist. The most important however is the winter; visitor seeking to escape the cold seasons have a guarantee of year-round sun on Dubai beaches. Others include getting away from work, stressful conditions or monotonous life. Tourist also seeking the status they will get for being away on holiday on an exotic land on return.
Pull factors
These are the factors that attract tourist to Dubai as a destination. As mentioned before, an important pull factor is the warm weather. The city also offers an exotic but refined tourism experience. Tourists are also attracted to the wide range of activities that one can do during their stay; such range from hi-tech activities such as skiing on artificial slopes to exotic activities such as camping out in the desert.
Conclusion
The tourism industry in Dubai will no doubt continue to grow. This will be fuelled by both an increased popularity of the city as a destination of choice; and the positive portrayal through active promotion and/or positive stories as portrayed in the media. The government’s strategy to promote tourism as the ideal source of foreign earnings is also set to pay dividends.
References
Aspinall, Simon, ‘Environmental Development and Protection in the UAE’. 2009. Web.
Dubai Healthcare City, ‘An Economic Profile of Dubai’, 2000. Web.
Dubai Villas. 2009. Web.
“Dubai International – world’s fastest-growing airport in 2007”. AMEInfo. Web.
Government of Dubai. Statistical Center Dubai in Figures 2006. Web.
Henderson J. ‘Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to destination Development’ The International Journal of Tourism Research 2006. Web.
New York Times, ‘Clubs Bloom in the Desert’, 2007. Web.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, ‘Welcome to Dubai’. Web.
Shopping in Dubai. Web.
United States Department of Agriculture, ‘Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards’ GAIN Report. Web.