The Middle East

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...

Facilities management (FM), the interdisciplinary field that has grown around the servicing of residential developments, commercial spaces, and public and private infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and hotels, is relatively new, even among developed economies. Across most of the MENA region it is in its infancy. Yet, in Dubai, the recovery...

When the global economic downturn hit Dubai’s tourism sector in 2008-09, the luxury segment, in particular, suffered substantial losses. The emirate’s extravagant high-end hotels, many of which commanded room rates in excess of $1000 per night prior to the crisis, were forced to lower their prices substantially to maintain occupancy rates, for...