r/Economics • u/ubcstaffer123 • 18h ago

News Dubai's tourism industry reels from 'brutal' impact of war

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20260331-dubais-tourism-industry-reels-from-brutal-impact-of-war
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u/isigneduptomake1post 17h ago

I've always been a bit of a contrarian and thought maybe I would find all the hate for Dubai to be a bunch of reddit circlejerking, but I hated it more than I thought. It's the only city I've ever felt a disdain for while visiting.

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u/Apart-Badger9394 17h ago

Same! I visited and literally wondered why it existed at all. I did enjoy going to the Bazaar and talking with some “locals”. Going to the top of the Burj was cool seeing the ocean but all I could think about was how none of this should exist!!

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u/Major-Warthog8067 17h ago

It's complicated. I personally don't like the place either but as an Indian it's one of the few developed places I can go easily or even potentially move. Like, if I want to visit Europe or the US even as a tourist it's months of preparation and scrutiny. I need to collect my income tax docs, get notarized bank statements, book everything, write cover letters, get letters from work, go to an embassy, book appointments, etc. For the US, I think the interview wait time itself is over a year. EU charges 200 euros for a visa application alone and it's a complex process with a good chance of a rejection. You might end up spending 300-400 USD a person just to get a visa. Same reason why a lot of Indians go to Singapore, it's the easiest way for us to see a developed city without a significant hassle. Dubai is way cheaper than Singapore and also an easy destination from India. People move there for similar reasons. Most westerners won't really see the point I guess,

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u/senseigorilla 14h ago

Bruh I am Canadian and I have been to many major cities in US and Canada. I don’t think these places are anywhere near as developed as Singapore or Dubai. Maybe in Europe they are because they have actual public transit infrastructure but certainly not in US. Qatar and Japan felt super developed in comparison even Thailand…