Day: August 4, 2023

The United Arab Emirates are made up of seven emirates, including Dubai.

It is a relatively new location that gained popularity recently as a result of the infrastructure’s rapid expansion.

It is without a doubt the most advanced and cutting-edge emirate in the UAE and may be regarded as a sort of independent city-state.

It has been developing tremendously quickly for years, and tourists flock there in droves to take in the latest technological and architectural marvels as well as the never-before-seen shopping malls. Dubai is a fantastic short-break destination where you can unwind and rest from your travels with a little bit of shopping, sunbathing, dining, and taking in many social events. It is only five hours from Europe and three hours from most of the Middle East and Near East, as well as the subcontinent of India.

• Travelers might feel very protected in Dubai. The UAE is allegedly one of the safest nations in the world. In general, if you intend to travel to the UAE, safety shouldn’t be a concern.
• You run a small chance of getting into an accident when driving because of erratic driving behavior. Off-road driving is obviously not advised because it can result in harmful collisions.
• Make sure your car is outfitted properly and that you have extra water on you.
• Despite the fact that pickpocketing is believed to be uncommon in the UAE, where the majority of people are foreigners, it nevertheless occurs because the country receives up to 14 million visitors each year. It is advised that you should be aware of your surroundings, especially when near Jemeirah Beach, which is a well-known pickpocket hotspot.
• High temperatures, over 50C, are one of the natural calamities affecting Dubai. Both thunderstorms and sandstorms are frequent occurrences in this nation. Visiting the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System if you want to learn more about natural disasters.
• As previously said, the UAE is a country where the majority of the population is made up of foreigners, hence incidents like mugging and kidnapping, particularly in Dubai, are quite rare. Foreigners avoid committing crimes since doing so would result in their instant deportation.
• Threats to strike the Gulf region are still being made by terrorists in their public pronouncements. These strikes might target strategic locations such restaurants, hotels, beaches, shopping malls, and mosques as well as military, oil, transportation, and aviation targets. Make sure you are constantly aware of your surroundings.
• There are hardly any scams in this region because it is a wealthy and thriving nation. Avoid con artists who will try to convince you to answer questions to win prize. To sell travel package they do this.
• When visiting cities in Europe, Canada, the United States, or Australia, female tourists are subject to the same level of risk as male passengers. Take the usual safety precautions and steer clear of dark places and late-night street walks.
  Dubai is a really safe place to visit.

  Although there is crime—especially in and around popular tourist destinations—it rarely targets visitors.

  In Dubai, domestic violence predominates.

  Because the majority of people (workers) in the UAE are foreigners and the majority of the population is prosperous, pickpockets are less likely to target you because of this.

  In addition, the bulk of the people you’ll encounter are foreigners, which means that if they try to conduct any crimes, they will be deported right away. This fact alone deters crime.

  When it pertains to street violence and crime, pickpocketing poses the greatest risk, especially in and near well-known monuments and popular tourist sites like Jumeirah Beach and in less affluent neighbourhoods like Sonapur, Shindagha, and Satwa.

  Natural calamities like sandstorms and thunderstorms, as well as the ongoing possibility of a terrorist attack, particularly in the Gulf region, should be considered while planning a trip to the UAE.

Due to its immense appeal, Dubai is expected to welcome around 13 million foreign visitors between January and November of 2022. People travel from all over the world to enjoy the world-class dining establishments, shopping in opulent malls, tanning on the sandy beaches, and drinking in the numerous bars in the city.

Even though Dubai is known for being the “party capital” of the Gulf and as a popular vacation spot, alcohol regulations have made enjoying your favorite cocktail in the city a costly and coveted treat. However, Dubai declared on January 1st that it will remove both the 30% alcohol tax and the licensing fee that foreign visitors and residents previously had to pay in order to purchase alcohol from retailers for personal consumption. Licenses are still only available to non-Muslims who are above age of 21.

For locals and tourists alike, this is a big shift even though drinking in public areas like parks, beaches, and shopping centers is still prohibited. Additionally, driving while intoxicated or drunk could result in a fine or jail time.The action was taken because Dubai is facing increasing rivalry from its neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia, which is making significant efforts to develop its own travel industry. Historically, Dubai has been able to draw in more tourists than other Gulf countries, in part because of its more lenient stance toward guest laws. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that foreign tourists spent more than $29 billion in Dubai in 2022.

During the tax’s implementation, “Dubai became a global tourism magnet because it has so much to offer tourists that the alcohol pricing was never an impediment,” says Magdalena Karolak, an associate professor of humanities and social sciences at a UAE university. Karolak claims that the new regulations are consistent with other recent social trends. These include changing the weekend from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday; allowing food establishments to operate during the day during the holy month of Ramadan with much less restrictions; and establishing a new family law for non-Muslim expat citizens.

“All things considered, these societal shifts make Dubai a desirable place to live permanently rather than just as a popular vacation destination,” claims Karolak. Notably, the new rule eliminated the documentation and costs residents had to pay in order to apply for a liquor license.

regional effects
However, there can be a drawback to the modifications. Karolak notes that because of the prohibitions on alcohol, there are less crimes related to alcohol in Dubai, such as drunk driving and disorderly conduct.

It’s unknown how long the new regulations will last. According to Karolak, the modifications will be implemented through the end of 2023 as a trial. “And, without a doubt, extending them or not will rely upon the effects that are felt in the emirate,”

The creator of the restaurant review website FooDiva.net, Samantha Wood, is based in Dubai and thinks the new project will give the city’s tourism industry a “fantastic boost.”

According to Wood, CNN, “we’ve witnessed alcohol distributors reduce their prices by 30% across both trade and retail.” When orders for new stock begin to arrive, “the consumer is, naturally, expects restaurants to comply and lower prices on their alcoholic beverage lists by the same amount.”

However, she has a suspicion that certain restaurants’ prices won’t fully reflect the tax drop. “I worry that a lot of eateries will take advantage of this chance to lessen the effects of other growing expenses and inflation, such as the impending introduction of corporate tax,”

Wood claims that the action should also attract foreign wine and spirits businesses, who had previously considered the emirate to be too expensive, to show more interest in Dubai.

“This new initiative is a smart move that will enable authorities to keep an eye on the circumstances and see if restaurants play ball by lowering prices, but it’s important to note that it’s only for one year,” she says. “I’m hoping restaurant owners will see the big picture and quickly and sufficiently reduce prices.”

Recent years have seen Dubai’s spectacular fireworks displays set several world records. Fireworks and laser exhibitions were seen all around the United Arab Emirates to welcome in 2023, with the Burj Khalifa being the location of the world’s largest laser display.

However, the aerial lights aren’t done yet. The city’s light extravaganza, which includes more than 500 drones, is elevating its holiday spectacles to a whole new level.
Skymagic is a UK-based company that now has a presence in Singapore. They specialize in drone-based light shows that have been seen all over the world, including at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and in Zurich, Switzerland and Sydney, Australia.

Senior creative at Skymagic Ollie Howitt said, “We think of the sky as the largest canvas that there is to tell our tales, so the technology is very much influenced by that.”
The group is in Dubai, organizing two nightly performances at Blue waters Island, next to the Dubai Marina, from December 15 to January 29.

The two five-minute shows share a common theme of Dubai and both use 3D animations. The first depicts a day in the life of a tourist, beginning with visuals of Dubai International Airport and transitioning into animations of the city’s most famous landmarks. With a robot that goes on a journey which explore city in the future.

Over half a million people are expected to watch the drones light up the Dubai sky during the holiday season. Project manager for the show Suhail Maitreya says months of planning go into organizing a big live event like this.

According to Maitreya, “We get on the site about 10 days prior the first show and we run trials every night in advance. We begin preparing as early as July, so about six months in advance.” We begin by operating one drone, then five, and finally twenty. The complete fleet of more than 500 drones takes to the air three days prior to the first presentation, at which point the show begins to take shape.

Eco-friendly displays
According to Skymagic, the drones weigh between 200 and 500 grams, making them far smaller than delivery drones. “In terms of weather conditions, our newest fleet is quite good since it is far more wind and rain resistant than it has ever been. (which) is always something to take into account while organizing a drone display, according to Howitt.

Drones may also be a more environmentally friendly option than fireworks, which can leak harmful metal particles into the atmosphere and harm both the environment and human health.

“Its main advantage is that it leaves no trace. According to Maitreya, it is entirely sustainable. “I believe that in the future, drones will be used in an increasing number of cities throughout the world.”