Spirit of Dubai!
(The Undoubted Hub of the Middle East)
I came to Dubai in the year 1999 and has been a great journey until now, thanks to this City! I have seen it transition from empty desert in to a booming economy and a great City. The Government of Dubai is immensely pro-active in its approach for the continuous development of Dubai to give new experiences to its citizens, expatriates and the tourists alike. This differentiates Dubai from many other destinations and its hospitality has become synonymous to the destination Dubai.
Dubai has been accommodative of the increasing number of guests every year, both expatriate residents and the tourists. The Government is making all out efforts to make Dubai one of the most happening cities in the world to live! This makes Dubai an attractive destination globally for business, entertainment, leisure or residence. New developments in a short timespan are becoming a hallmark in Dubai, with dramatic involvement in entertainment and world events, world-class architecture such as Palm Dubai, Atlantis, Burj Khalifa to name a few. This sets it apart from other major global cities, and also contributes in guaranteeing the visitors/and citizens an amazing experience in Dubai.
The number of tourists are increasing every year and accordingly the number of hotels and hotel apartments are also increasing to accommodate the guest arrival. Occupancy in Dubai is highest in the world exceeding 85 to 90% for long period which is phenomenal in this industry.
People of Dubai live in a peaceful and harmonious multi-cultural environment with mutual respect for all cultures, faiths and backgrounds. People from different parts of the world have made Dubai their home away from home. This diversity makes Dubai a welcoming place for the world and makes it a strong contender for tourism in the Middle-east. Number of tourists are increasing every year due to various new and unique attractions created by Dubai. The boost in the tourism helps Dubai in creating more jobs not only for local population but also caters to people globally who would like the opportunity to work in this City. The affinity and accessibility of Dubai to the world has improved tremendously as the Emirates Airlines which is the one of the Pillars of Dubai's growth has increased its fleet and flights to reach various destinations in all directions far and wide. This is a commendable effort by the Government to reach out to the entire world.
The Government's vision for 2020 was out long back and detailed plans at all levels have been made to make this a success story and a historical milestone. There are more than ten spectacular and amazing projects envisaged to be completed by the year 2020, these projects boast of new concepts very different and unique. The new projects including the Dubai Frame, Museum of the Future Science and Technology, Dubai Water Canal, Dubai Theme Parks and creation of the World's largest Artificial Beach are set to commence operations by 2017. Other projects such as Blue Water Island, Ultra-modern Marina in Deira, Alladin City and Al Mumzar Beach Front real estate development are set to commence operation by 2020. The innovative projects makes Dubai a destination of surprises and all possibilities; it adds the Wow factor for the tourists from all over the world. This is hopefully be reflected in the Tourist arrival in Dubai which is expected to exceed Twenty Million by 2020.
Another interesting feature of Dubai is its resilience to crisis in any form! We have seen this in 1996 and yet again in the year 2009. Dubai came with a big bang in 2011 when the whole world faced financial downturn and a major recession. It was a good lesson to learn for the Government and enabled them to take various corrective measures to instill and re-build confidence among foreign investors and entrepreneurs. Since then, number of entertainment projects, hospitality projects, mixed-use projects, shopping malls have increased and subsequently increasing the tourist arrival. This positive outlook makes Dubai a unique destination and once people get here, it is difficult to not love it!
Dubai is undoubtedly the hub of the Middle-East. Be it logistics, Trading, Financial Services, Airlines or Hospitality people around Middle East and North Africa region rely upon Dubai. All the global best brands first put their steps in Dubai and then to the other cities of the Middle East, this makes Dubai the leader in the Middle East region in terms of business. Dubai brings business from around the world and benefits all other regions in the Middle East. Dubai airports handled more than 70 Million passengers in 2014 and is expected to surpass 126 Million passengers by 2020. For every $100 jobs created in aviation sector an additional job of $116 is created elsewhere in Dubai. Dubai's flagship airline carries more than 49 million passengers and flies to more than 144 destinations every day.
Dubai is a destination of wonders and a fantasy land. Its respect for cultural heritage, ancient arts and its roots in a modern and developed world is why it succeeds as a Crowning Jewel in the Middle East. It is the diversity that makes Dubai a place of idea generation, innovation and creation of various themes and concepts. One can see the unity in diversity a phenomena that can never be missed! Visit Dubai and experience it yourself!
Chandrashekhar P. Iyer
Director - Crowe Horwath, Dubai
+971 4 453 9505
Crowe Horwath International
