Dubai Faces Festering Tourism Challenges Beyond Pandemic
Photo Credit: The view of Palm Jumeirah island from Jumeirah Beach. Getty / Arvin Mantilla
Skift Take
Dubai has spent significant capital billing itself up as a progressive destination that offers uninterrupted tourism and entertainment, but now reality may have caught up to the emirate.
The shimmering coastline of Dubai’s tree-shaped Palm Jumeirah island is known for its posh apartments, glitzy hotels, and upscale restaurants—but the lights in this exclusive enclave, like much of the city, have started to dim.
That’s because Dubai’s economy, built on the hopes of globalization, was on thin ice long before the pandemic.
In 2018 and 2019, the image-conscience emirate had reportedly kept the lights on in some emptied skyscrapers and hotels to maintain its reputation as an “instagramable” destination.“Through the medium-term, it could very well be touch-and-go for Dubai,” said Varsha Koduvayur, senior research analyst covering the Gulf states for Washington D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The Covid shock will affect the leadership’s thinking and spur Dubai’s leaders to look towards building up other sectors that might (to the extent possible) be more pandemic-proof.”
