Dubai - Land of Plenty

by Songül Arslan

If any place on earth can be called "manmade," it is Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian Gulf. One would expect that most of its revenues come from oil for no other reason than its geography, but this is not the case. In fact, oil generates just less than 10% of its revenues, while the Jebel Ali Free Zone and tourism make up the rest.

The Jebel Ali Free Zone is not a zone where everything is free, of course, but an economic zone which significant tax incentives for corporations and businesses. It is also an ideal warehousing and distribution center. There are more than two billion people who make use of this zone, which is said to be the most efficient port in the Middle East.

In addition to the economic interests, travellers visit Dubai for the mesmerizing fantasy world that has been created there. What is really striking about Dubai is that its ambitions know no limits. Currently Dubai is a construction zone--the project is the building of artificial islands in the shape of palms. It is a multi-billion-dollar project, and as one would expect, is rather more for the Deep-Pocket Joe than the Average Joe. Another ongoing big-money project is the construction of an island in the shape of the earth. These Dubai atols are the biggest artificial islands in the world.

Fifteen kilometres south of Dubai lies Jumeira Beach. This is the place where the biggest and most luxurious hotels are situated and project developers are building more and more. How many more, exactly, is difficult to say but I read in an article in a Dutch newspaper last year that 12% of all the hoisting machines in the world are now in this region. I think that gives us an idea.

On Jumeira Beach you'll find the Burj-al-Arab (Tower of Arabia) hotel, by far the most exclusive hotel in the world. It is more than 300 metres high and is the highest building in the world to be used as a hotel. It is also built on an artificial island and has a small strip of land connecting it to the mainland. Only the happy few can stay in this hotel--if you look at their rates on the internet, you'll know what I mean.

In 2008 the Burj Dubai (Tower of Dubai) will be finished. It will be the highest tower in the world and, since this is Dubai, it will be as luxurious as the rest of the constructions, with designer Giorgio Armani doing the interior.

Dubai definitely has sky-high goals, and I think they will be met. The Emirate doesn't want to be dependent on oil, and so far it's doing well to that end. I sometimes wonder, however, if the current pace of constructing can continue. It could happen that the luxury market will be satisfied at some point, and what then? But until that time, Dubai is happy to show that it is possible to live in and on a dream.