Get you up to speed: Dubai sees sharp decline in tourism as conflict in the Middle East escalates
Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, has experienced significant drops in tourism, with hotels offering cheaper rooms due to a lack of visitors. Tourist attractions such as Dubai Parks and Resorts and Global Village theme parks have temporarily closed amid concerns over safety from Iranian attacks.
Dubai has become significantly less populated as tourists have cancelled bookings due to the ongoing conflict in the region, with hotel operators now offering reduced rates in an attempt to attract visitors. According to travel analytics firm Cirium, on one recent Tuesday, nearly half of flights departing from the Middle East were cancelled, affecting the ability of many to leave the city.
The situation in Dubai remains critical as the city grapples with a significant decline in tourism due to ongoing conflicts, with many tourist attractions temporarily closed. Additionally, hotels are now offering cheaper rooms to attract visitors amid the alarming drop in bookings, reflecting the city’s reliance on the tourism sector.
Dubai is now a ‘ghost town’ of empty sun-loungers and pools | News World
Jumeirah Beach, rammed with luxury resorts, was largely empty
Dubai is a city known for its mega-mansions, pristine resorts and Michelin-star dining.
But in the nearly two weeks since the US and Israel launched deadly strikes against Iran, this curated image is all but gone.
Now Dubai, of the United Arab Emirates, has become a ‘ghost town’ as the Gulf state bears the brunt of two-thirds of Iran’s attacks.
Empty beach bars, sun loungers and pools have become a common sight, as have high-end stores like Gucci being shuttered.
Some tourist attractions have even temporarily closed, such as the Dubai Parks and Resorts and Global Village theme parks and the Ain Dubai observation wheel.
Hotels, meanwhile, are offering cheaper rooms in a bid to lure in spooked holiday-makers.
Dubai has swatted away most of Iran’s missiles
Migrant workers have been left worrying about their futures
Iran has stressed it is ready for a dragged-out war (picture: Getty)
One local told the Daily Mail: ‘Normally on Friday, the traffic would be gridlocked and the restaurants and shops would be very busy, but the place is a ghost-town now.
‘I have heard from friends that at some of the big hotels and resorts, the bosses have told their staff that they have to take their paid leave now because there are hardly any guests now, so there’s nothing to do.
‘If they don’t have any leave left, will they be expected to live on nothing?’
Thousands of residents and tourists have fled Dubai so far, a city where nine in 10 people are foreigners.
That is, if they can even board their flight. Data shared with WTX from Cirium, a travel analytics firm, shows that almost half of flights leaving the Middle East were cancelled on Tuesday, amounting to 228 flights.
Beaches usually jammed with tourists have been deserted amid fears of strikes
Some stores, such as Apple and Gucci, have closed branches in the city as a precaution
The financial consequences may be high for Dubai, given that the city relies on tourism.
But Dubai’s migrant workers, often tied to their jobs because of visa rules, may feel the pinch the most.
One café manager from Pakistan said they worry about what ‘the future holds’.
‘The spring break for schoolchildren starts today and there is hardly a Western child to be seen anywhere,’ they added to the Daily Mail.
‘Their parents have all taken them home.’
Iranian attacks have so far set five-star hotels on fire, shattered the windows of luxury apartments and damaged the city’s financial hub.
Four people – Murib Zaman, Saleh Ahmed, Dibas Shrestha and a Pakistani driver – have been killed in the barrage of strikes so far.
Some travellers are wondering whether it’s safe to even go to Dubai, all while influencers churn out ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ content.
They do so, as experts have told WTX, because they face prosecution if they post content that goes against ‘official’ narratives of the conflict.
Nick Rowles-Davies, an international lawyer based in Dubai and CEO of litigation funding platform Lexolent, said: ‘The UAE has a track record of prosecuting misinformation cases, including during sensitive periods such as the Covid-19 emergency.
‘Enforcement is not theoretical – authorities have consistently made clear that forwarding unverified content can itself create legal exposure, particularly where it generates fear or disorder.’
Dubai, ranked among the top 10 destinations in the world, welcomed 19.59 million tourists last year.
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