UAE: Dubai

Despite the lingering effects of the 2008-09 global economic downturn, contractors, property developers, materials suppliers and other players are broadly optimistic about the construction industry in Dubai.

While cruise tourism is a relatively new market in Dubai – the government has promoted the segment only since 2001 – over the course of the past decade the emirate has become one of the region’s busiest stop-offs for cruise liners from around the world. In 2011 the cruise terminal at Dubai’s Port Rashid welcomed 108 cruise ships, up from 103 ships...

Over the past decade Dubai has become the Middle East’s chief retail centre. The emirate is home to one of the largest malls in the world, has a massive domestic consumption of retail goods and boasts a reputation as a prime shopping destination among well-heeled tourists. While many other sectors have continued to see declining activity in the wake...

As traditional “bricks and mortar” shopping outlets recover from the drop in spending following the global financial crisis, Dubai’s online retail sector is flourishing as consumers increasingly look to the internet to find deals and save money. Indeed, the emirate is emerging as a regional leader in e-commerce.

The political unrest that swept through the Middle East and North Africa since late 2010 has had a deleterious economic effect on many countries in the region. The uprisings – known collectively as the “Arab Spring” – have overturned longstanding governments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen, and caused prolonged periods of instability in a handful...

In early March 2012 the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The agreement formalised the longstanding collaborative relationship between the government’s tourism and sports development arms, and is expected to result in increased cooperation between the...