There Are Two Sides to Dubai - Good and Bad!

We all now know that Dubai is an emirate of extremes.  It wanted to be famous as being the biggest and best at everything it set its sights on – from luxurious real estate developments to retail projects, from tourism attractions to sporting events – however, in its bid for rapid advancement it took on extremes of debt at a time when the world was poised on the brink of economic collapse.

As a result, we all now know that Dubai is as famous for its incredible mountains of debt as it is for its positive achievements – and a lot of mud has been slung at the failing fortunes of many in Dubai.  From high-earning executives who have lost everything to massive construction firms that cannot meet their debt repayments, many have been affected by the sharp negative downward swing in Dubai’s fortunes.

However, there continues to be two sides to Dubai – i.e., the good and the bad!  It’s not all tales of disastrous deals and failing fortunes in the emirate you know…although some would say that those who remain and who are living the high life are in denial!  However, we would just like to point out that life for many expats still thrives in Dubai – but is it a place you would now like to live?  Is it a destination where you can still make a life and find a fortune?

Dubai’s construction industry is on its knees – compared to how it was.  And yet there are still builders working and a few projects bitterly grinding forward to completion!  Dubai’s property market is dead – and yet there are still those renting apartments and others who have committed to their life in Dubai who require homes to live in.  Dubai’s employment landscape is bleak and barren, and yet recruitment consultants are still finding people placements and there are those who are still very much in jobs in the emirate.  Dubai is the one place in the world where Britons are most likely to be arrested and land in jail – and Dubai is also the one place in the world where you can go to a party every night of the week, shop til you drop and live the life of a celebrity.

So, Dubai is a place of extreme opposites – and it is this fact alone that you need to now be able to accept if you want all the trappings of wealth and success that are still available to a select few in the emirate.  You may make a fortune in Dubai, or you may lose a fortune.  You may have the time of your life at the five star hotels, on the beach or in the mall – or you may be forced to work exceedingly hard to keep your job or land in jail if you bounce a cheque.

Travel to Dubai on a tourism visa and have a look around.  Go to the bars where the expats hang out and ask them why they are still in Dubai.  Listen to the stories of the successful and the happy few.  Then read about those who have landed in jail for messing up their paperwork or breaking a law such as cohabiting and know that the police side of the state is harsh and totally unforgiving.  Look at the mega malls and the beautiful real estate projects – then look more closely at the unfinished property developments and the construction workers living and dying in slums.

If you can find your own path to happiness, comfort, success or enjoyment in Dubai then take it.  If on the other hand you’re unsettled by the extremes of the emirate, leave it alone.