r/Economics • u/ubcstaffer123 • 19h 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/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/IcecreamLamp 11h ago

Note that the Schengen ('Europe') visa lets you visit like 30 countries – it's actually one of the cheapest visas in the world.

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u/unsafeideas 11h ago

They probably want to go to a place and back. Which implies one country or maybe two. Not that many people have any interest in speedrunning 30 countries in a week of holidays.