Tourism in the United Arab Emirates - Assignment Example

Surname Presented to Institution Name, Location Date Tourism in United Arab Emirates Introduction The United Arab Emirates are located in Arabian Peninsula on the southern end. It is divided into seven countries known as emirates. The most populated emirate in United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Dubai that has about 35.6% of the entire UAE population. The next most populated emirate is Abu Dhabi. That means that most citizens of UAE live in either Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi has about 86.7% of the country’s total area. Dubai extends to the coastal side of the Persian Gulf coast. Dubai also has an estimated area of about 1500 square miles which are about 5% of the total area of UAE. The other emirates of UAE include Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Qaiwain, Fujairah and Al-khaimah. United Arab Emirates have the second largest economy in the Arab countries. Saudi Arabia has the largest economy in the Arabian countries. UAE has a gross domestic product of about 377 dollars in the year 2012. About a third of that gross domestic product is from oil revenues. The economy has grown since its independence in 1971 by about 230 times. The economy of the non-oil trade has equally grown over the years. UAE has received rankings from the World Bank group for doing business well on the basis of its economy, as well as regulatory environment. The inflation rate of UAE in the year 2008 to 2009 was about 1.9% while its national debt for the same year 2009 was 142 billion dollars. Statistics shows that Abu Dhabi was the richest country in the world for having a population of below 900,000(Henderson, 2009). The major exports of UAE are petroleum and natural gas and they play the important role in the economy of the country. However, emirates have tried to diversify their production by venturing in other exports apart from the above. The tourism sector has been one great way through which UAE is diversifying its economy (Balankrishnan, 2008).This has taken the extra step in helping it reduce its dependency on the oil sector or exports. Other sectors that UAE has diversified in including the construction and financial sector. Dubai has fewer oil reserves compared to the other emirates in UAE. Thus, Dubai is bolder in embracing the diversification policy (Henderson, 2006). The ministry of labor in UAE does not allow for trade unions so it does not recognize the right for workers to strike or for collective bargaining. The ministry has the power of forcing workers to go back to their respective places of work and if a migrant participates in any strike, he gets deported. Anti-discrimination laws that relate to labor issues do not exist (Henderson, 2009). The economy of Dubai faced financial crisis from 2007 to 2010. These crises really hit Dubai so badly such that its economy shrank by about 4%. This also had an effect on the property sector as well as the construction sector which declined too (Balankrishnan, 2008). However, the tourism sector, the retail sector and trade sector never felt the effect of the above financial crisis. The tourism sector is expected to help the economy of Dubai to recover. Dubai is seeking to improve the property sector as well as infrastructure sector all in a bid to help in the growth of the tourism industry in the country (Henderson, 2006). Information on UAE and Dubai in particular The report analyzes aspects in Dubai that attract the local and global visitors in the country as its diversity in religion, language, food and culture. The country has many religions ranging from Muslim, Hindu, catholic, protestant, Buddhist to Orthodox. The largest and official religion in Dubai is Islam.It does not mean the state do not recognize that other religions. Its policies are friendly to other religions and this attracts tourists who want to learn more about the various religions in Dubai (Sharpley, 2008). The languages in UAE are Arabic, Urdu and English. The national language in this country is Arabic though English is compulsory for anybody applying for any job position in UAE. This is because the British were its colonizers. However, there are other many more languages spoken by citizens in UAE. UAE and Dubai in particular has a different culture. Its society has a different culture and some of the major holidays in Dubai include the Eid al Fitr which is a holiday that marks the end of the Ramadan session (Balankrishnan, 2008). The other major holiday is the National day on 2 December that marks the day when the United Arab Emirates was formed. Most male in Emirates wear an attire called kandura which is a white tunic that has an ankle-length and it is usually woven from wool or cotton depending on the preference of an individual. Women on the other hand pose a culture of wearing abaya which is a black garment that usually covers most body parts (Sharpley, 2008). The culture in Dubai is liberal and they do not allow women to wear miniskirts and bikinis. Men are not permitted to wear tight swimsuits on public beaches according to their cultures. Their culture comes from a significant influence by an early scholar known as Al Khalil bin Ahmed. Their culture also entails a traditional dance known as the yowalah. They have folk music called Bedouin and liwa which is performed in most cases by communities that have a Bantu origin. The Dubai Desert rock Festival is one of the major festivals in Dubai played by people with heavy metal as well as rock artists (Henderson, 2006). The tourism industry in Dubai This sector is developing rapidly and it contributes mainly to the overall economy of this country. Domestic tourism and inbound tourism have relatively grown in the year 2012. This is also attributable to the good image that UAE has in the world. UAE is well known for its good image so people prefer to visit Dubai for a holiday (Al-Shouk, 2008). Thus, Dubai is a holiday destination for most people because it is a safe place and it has many attractive sites. Another factor that makes Dubai a preferred holiday destination is due to idea that it is a shopping hub globally (Henderson, 2006). Many individuals from the entire world tour Dubai due to different factors. One of the most attractive things that attract tourist to Dubai is its special and unique features which will be discussed below in this report (Al-Shouk, 2008). The tourism industry in Dubai has led to both demerits and merits of the nation the government has been on the front line in developing infrastructures that aid in developing the tourism industry in Dubai (Sharpley, 2008). Research shows that Dubai is expected to continue growing in terms of the travel and tourism industry. Dubai remains the key destination for most people in UAE and globally because major investments are taking place there. Research also shows that domestic consumers are expected to spend more and more on travel in Dubai as their disposable income increases. The increase is also expected to continue as a result of increased government spending in infrastructure, promotion niches and festivals (Henderson, 2009). There are several airlines in Dubai that tourists can use to get their way into the country. The country also has different means of transport used by tourists to tour various sites in UAE. In Dubai, different investors have come up with different traveling companies and agents with the aim of assisting tourists or visitors tour Dubai and the unique features it has (Henderson, 2006). Research carried out in 2013 shows that Dubai international airport is known to be the best in the entire world by passenger traffic international. However, the road area in the western and southern parts of Dubai is undeveloped. Thus, people prefer to use airplanes rather than road transport. Many capitals in the world direct flights to Dubai and more than hundred and twenty airlines run to and fro the Dubai international airport. All these airlines connect to over two hundred and sixty destinations in the world. That is why it is the busiest airport in the entire world. It is also the home base of the emirate's airlines, the international airline of the UAE which run their services in more than 100 destinations in the world (Henderson, 2006). The airport transport system has advanced their services and they have special package for passengers that require special attention, through this initiative wheelchair client receive very special personalized survives. Over the whole decade, DTCM has been promoting the cruise service. The first cruise was established in 2001, a new and more advanced one was also opened in 2010. This was developed to increase the capacity due to the increased number of tourist in the country. Most of the cruise that that sails to Dubai comes from Sydney, Singapore, Dover, and almost all parts of the world (Al-Should, 2008). The United Arab Emirates have done an impressive job in making sure that they created an impressive first class road network that has helped in connecting the villages and the major towns. These include the known multi lane highway that connects Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is easier to drive from the neighboring GCC countries to Dubai this has made it very easy for the tourist from the neighboring countries to travel to Dubai (Henderson, 2006). Tourist who visits Dubai needs to have a visit visa before entering Dubai. However, the citizens and some of the GCC citizens and a number of European states citizens can be allowed to tour Dubai with free entry permit that is stamped in their passports on arrival. The visitors from other countries need to get sponsorship from a member of UAE or a company or hotel that has been given licensed to conduct such business. Dubai has reduced the rates of obtaining a visa this has made the tourism industry in Dubai easy and convenient (Sharpley, 2008). Another tourist attraction in Dubai is the culture and ethics that people in Dubai have. Dubai has enforced a number of behavioral rules that which in most cases attract the tourist from the western countries that are closely familiar with the local customs and its culture, those who don’t understand usually gets themselves in trouble. Such rules that include homosexuality and kissing in the public are some of the acts that are considered as indecent. In addition visitors are required to obey the Muslim religious practices even if they are not Muslims (Henderson, 2006). To avoid the dangers of drugs and substance abuse, tourist visiting Dubai are screened thoroughly for any legal dangers and trafficking of drugs. One can be jailed for up to four years if found with the illegal substance even in small quantities like 0.0001 grams. The security scanners have the ability to detect the smallest quantity of drugs in the blood are used to scan the visitors (Richards, 2012). Some of the visitors have even in the past been jailed for being found with small traces of drugs that they were not even aware of while travelling. These tough laws help in discouraging anyone from carrying or using any drug while travelling to Dubai. One found with more than 0.05 grams of the drugs will be found guilty and be jailed with a penalty of a minimum of four years. These measures have encouraged many tourists to visit Dubai since they are assured of their safety while in the country since no drugs are being smuggled into the country (Henderson, 2009). There are no major special immunizations that are needed, but tourist are required to have the most appropriate medical insurance before embarking on the journey to Dubai. The government of Dubai has immunization programs that have been identified by many travel magazines (Henderson, 2009). A modern health care program that offers online health care contacts of almost all the medical doctors found in Dubai. This modern medical system is one of the most attractive services that are offered to the tourist to Dubai, they feel more confident to travel around since they are assured of their health precautions taken by the government (Sharpley, 2008). It has been clear that sightseeing is the second attraction for tourist who visits Dubai for both entertainment and shopping. The aspects of the old culture in Dubai, although it has always been covered with the booming economic growth and developments, are still found in parts that include the creek (Henderson, 2006). It splits Dubai into two main halves, the Bur Dubai and the Deidra. These cultural places are also an attraction to most of the tourist visiting the country. The history of the two villages can be traced back to almost two thousand or three thousand years ago (Richards, 2012). Business tourism is also the most prominent in the city. In 2002 the renowned DTCM created the Dubai Conventional Bureau (DCB) it carries out all the global bids on behalf of the entire emirates mainly for attracting major events in Dubai. It also conducts the most comprehensive promotional activities that have bitter relations to Dubai such as meetings, workshops and the conventional destinations. It also organizes and conducts trade shows, road shows and preparations of all collateral to promote Dubai since it are one of the leading business tourism destinations (Henderson, 2006). Sports tourism is one of the most attractive activities for tourist some of the international championships that have been hosted in Dubai include Dubai rugby seven competitions in the world, the Dubai classic golf championships, and many others. Conclusion In conclusion, Dubai is clearly the most attractive areas for tourist the city has all that most tourists want to experience. Its serene environment and complex structures are some of the most attractive things for all tourists that visit the country for whichever reason. Most people prefer to visit places such as Dubai because of strong security measures that have been put in place, it is never comfortable to visit a place that has poor security conditions. All nations that would like to invest in tourism should learn from the structures that Dubai has in place and they will definitely develop. References Al-Should, P. M. (2008). "Tourists get drug warning." Dubai City News journal, 02-78. Balankrishnan, M. S. (2008). “Dubai – a Star in the East: A Case Study in Strategic Destination Henderson, J. C. (2009). “Food Tourism Reviewed...” British Food Journal, Vol. 111 Is. 4, 317-326. Henderson, J. C. (2006). “Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to Destination Development...” International Journal of Tourism Research, 8, 87-99. Henderson, J. C. (2006). “Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to Destination Development...” International Journal of Tourism Research, 8, 87-99. Richards, G. (2012). “An Overview of Food Tourism Trends and Policies.” in Food and the Sharpley, R. (2008). “Planning for Tourism: the Case of Dubai...” Tourism and Hospitality Planning and Development, Vol. 5 I ss. 1, 13-30. Read More