Sun, sea and sewage

A few years ago the waters off Dubai were like a lovely warm bath. Swimming was a wonderful experience, at least for people who don't enjoy having to break the ice before they dip a frozen toe in the dark and ominous English Channel. On Midsummer's Day.

For some reason, the habit of going to the beach rather died away. Even the urging of bronzed beach-goddesses like Lola Lebcan didn't raise its appeal. Maybe a sunset stroll to take photos of the Burj, once or twice a year. But no more sunbathing, and certainly no more swimming.

Perhaps it was the dredging for the Palms that ruined the oceans. Not just because it fouled up the water with sand and fine particles, but because it stopped them being an endless mystical stretch of water as far as the eye could see. Now the sea was just a sort of inlet or lake, a sad sandy pond. The real Gulf now started the other side of the World's Biggest Man-Made Artificial Sand-Dredged Islands (tm) all rights reserved to His Majesty's Vision Inc (tm).

Anyway we've had this latest story before, last year on the BBC in fact. But now The Times has picked up on the fact that Dubai isn't quite the unspoilt virgin eco-Eden that Nakheel's vast hordes of paid "ecologists" and assorted "environmental scientists" like to promote:

"A noxious tide of toilet paper, raw sewage and chemical waste has transformed Dubai’s most prestigious stretch of shoreline into a foul-smelling health hazard.

"A stretch of the exclusive Jumeirah Beach - a magnet for Western tourists and home to a string of hotels - has been closed. “It’s a cesspool. Our tests show too many E. coli to count. It’s like swimming in a toilet,” said Keith Mutch, the manager of the Offshore Sailing Club, which has posted warnings and been forced to cancel regattas. The pollution is a blow to Dubai’s reputation as an international holiday destination offering almost guaranteed sunshine and clear seas."

The good news for Dubai is that the sort of tourists who flock in on cheap Emirates deals and hang around the Jumeirah Beach Hotel with their tattoos, guts and lycra on grim and sweaty display are probably not Times subscribers.

The bad news is that like everyone else in the world, they're probably about to lose their jobs, homes and savings if they haven't already. Meaning even a weekend in Weston-Super-Mud or Whitley Bay is going to be beyond the budget, let alone The Arabian Effluent Experience.


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"Dens of prostitution"

Possibly not putting himself in line to win one of DTCM's 2009 Excellence in Journalism awards, Yusuf Abdulla tells it like it is:

"There is also another side to Dubai’s booming market. Most large hotels are little more than dens of prostitution. Hotels are permitted to issue guest permits to bring people from outside. In order to attract customers, many hotels bring girls from Central Asia, Russia, Romania and Western Europe. These girls are provided free accommodation in the hotel for three months while they are expected to service hotel guests. Each hotel has a club where girls enter for free while men must pay 100 dirhams. Alcohol is available and consumed in large quantities. Customers come to these clubs to pick up foreign girls. It has been pointed out to the authorities in Dubai that they are sitting on a time bomb. Girls with such loose moral character are likely to be infected with the AIDS virus. There are already reports of AIDS spreading among the local population because of the behavior of emirati men who then infect their wives."

Interesting how the "girls" are the ones accused of "loose moral character". Not the pimps and slavers that traffic them to Dubai. Nor the hotels who act as brothelmasters. Nor their clients. Or even the unnamed people who "expect" them to provide this service.

An interesting choice of nationalities too. Along with Russia and the CIS: Eastern Europe, Morocco, Africa and China would be more like it.


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Kylie UAE terror plot

There could surely be no source in the world more reliable or well-informed than the greatly respected Daily Star newspaper, so Kylie Minogue may want to consider wearing a kevlar miniskirt when she performs at the Atlantis in November:

Spies have reportedly uncovered a terror plot involving Kylie Minogue's forthcoming gig in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Daily Star, British spies are investigating a threat to the concert, which is scheduled to take place at the opening of the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai on November 20.

"We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the United Arab Emirates," a British Embassy spokesperson is quoted as saying.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

Meanwhile, journalists who long ago sold their souls for free "seven star" hospitality are raving about the wonders of the sandlands' latest superhotel.

Longer time expats sadly remember the days when one could sit among the shady palms on the Ritz Carlton beach, with no cranes lighting up the night sky behind and before. The days when the sea was a black infinity lit only by the moon, not by the garish concrete splendour of endless Palm Islands and skyscrapers.


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Abu Dhabi Baywatch

What's more absurd?

1. Playboy-model-come-home-porn-star Pamela Anderson wants to build a hotel in a conservative Islamic emirate

2. She plans to build a zero-fossil-fuel eco-friendly hotel in one of the biggest carbon-chugging nations in the world

Pamela Anderson wants to open a hotel in Abu Dhabi, say reports.

The former Playboy model is planning to develop her own eco-friendly resort in the country.

"I'm building a hotel there," she is quoted as saying. "It's environmentally friendly.

"I went there with the Make A Wish Foundation and met some great people there, and the royal family was really friendly."

Perhaps she can bring her Baywatch buddies round to fan those friendly sheikhs with date palm fronds as they swelter in her un-airconditioned, electricity-free, "kind-to-the-earth" resort.


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Heartbroken Hotels

Dubai hotel occupancy has reportedly plummeted this summer. Which is sad, because as any long-term sandlander knows, the best time in the Gulf is summer. It's a daily wrestling match with the searing white tiger of the Gulf sun amid blanket-thick humidity, while one enjoys the sight of newcomers and tourists wilting and collapsing all around. But the disappointing absence of the latter this year has led Kipp Report to wonder if the emirate has finally been "rumbled"?

"General opinion suggests the situation could be a combination of factors, some external - like the globally depressed economic scenario and higher cost of flights thanks to spiralling oil prices - but there is a nagging suspicion the city has been rumbled: strained infrastructure, choked roads, few transport options, ugly cranes and little to do beyond malls."

And as Kipp notes, Thomson Holidays - the top ranked UK travel agency website - only recommends one destination in the Middle East...

...Israel.


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Dubai Transvestite City

Located on The World's Isle of Lesbos, Dubai Transvestite City will be a mecca for cross-dressers, drag queens and assorted trannies, safely away from the somewhat less than enlightened eye of Dubai Police chief Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim:

"Dubai Police have made up their mind to tackle this problem strictly. Any man who dresses up and behaves like a woman in public or vice versa will be legally questioned and legal action will be taken against him," Dahi said.

What is to blame for this huge surge in "indecent" behaviour? Lt Gen Tamim blames coeducation: "I think studying in a mixed environment is the reason behind the increase in this problem. " Just last week, two ladies of lesbian persuasion were herded into Al Slammer for alleged fairy-flossing on a public beach:

Dubai: Two women who were standing trial for kissing and cuddling on a public beach have been sentenced to one a month prison term followed by deportation.

The women, a 30-year-old Lebanese visitor and 36-year-old Bulgarian employee, had pleaded not guilty to kissing, cuddling and sleeping on each other like a married couple before the Dubai Court of Misdemeanour.

No wonder Time Out Dubai doesn't have the gay entertainment section featured in other world editions of the magazine. The sad thing is that at least where transgender people are concerned, other supposedly more zealously Islamic nations such as Iran are far more tolerant than the UAE. In Iran it is actually possible to get transgender surgery and be fully recognised with an amended birth certificate and passport - more progressive in fact than many western nations.

Anyway the upshot is that anyone of non straight married monogamous vanilla persuasion is best off avoiding Dubai, unless the thrill of being able to do something "illicit" (but boringly legal in their own country) is some kind of draw. And the thrilling prospect of a longer, paid holiday at the UAE government's very own seven star Al Wathba hotel.


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"Beware Benidorm"

Most tourists are initially blown away by Dubai and the veneer of glitz and opulence that "seven star" hotels, extensive service (cheap third world labour) and various world-first-megaprojects are able to supply. But The Economist has a warning for developing countries hoping to grab the tourism dollar. They note the example of Spain, which ravaged much of its beautiful Mediterranean coastline into a concrete hell:

"The question planners in these new markets should ask themselves is where they want tourism in their country to be in 20 years. At the moment tourists from emerging markets have their own tastes. Russians like two weeks on a sunny beach, wild parties and lots of retail therapy. The Chinese prefer urban travel to sea and sand. People from the Gulf states travel in big families and require halal food. Yet, with the progress of economic prosperity they will probably become more like Europeans and Americans, who want scenery, a decent environment and a smattering of history and culture. If you destroy your heritage and scenery, you will come to regret it."

The issue with a tourism-based economy is that it depends on mass tourism, and critically, repeat mass tourism. So who is likely to come to Dubai, and who is likely to keep coming? As a speculation:

Annual visitors: regional Arabs, property owners, families of expats, European "Benidorm" demographic

One-off/occasionals: wealthy subcons, friends of expats, more discerning Europeans, rich Chinese, rich Africans, Russians

Won't come: poorer subcons (ie the vast majority), poorer Chinese (ditto), poorer Africans (ditto), Americans, Israelis

As well as this, Dubai faces several major tests:

1. Ramadan 2008+
From this year, Ramadan starts to coincide with European school holidays. That means a massive overhaul of food-in-public laws are needed. No way will places like Dubailand be able to ban food from dawn till dusk; it seems increasingly unlikely that popular tourist-frequented malls such as Mall of the Emirates will either. And curtained cafes won't suffice: children will need to be able to walk around eating ice creams in broad daylight if they so wish. And booze will need to be on sale at every hotel all day long. If you want the mass tourism dollar, this is how you must prostitute your culture. Mass tourists smoke, drink, shag and often behave offensively. You can't expect them to behave like a coach load of trappist nuns if you want their money.

2. Rising costs
Soaring food and oil costs are hurting people worldwide. Dubai is a long haul destination for pretty much everyone: it is always going to be more expensive to sun-sand-sea in the UAE than in Spain if you're European, Goa if you're Indian, the Gold Coast if you're Australian, and so on. With so many destinations all over the world, cost will start to become a more critical factor than convenience and familiarity.

3. Competition
Specifically regional competition. What you get in Dubai is pretty much identical to what you get in Doha or Abu Dhabi: the same "seven star" hotels, the same perma-sunny weather, the same "tax free" shopping, the same mega malls and world-first developments. Dubai currently has an edge, but this may not always be the case.


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A Dubai fairytale

"Mysteriously veiled women flit below magnificent crescent-shaped archways while men in long white flowing robes sit by the side of the canal drinking Arabic coffee."

When exactly did this Sydney Morning Herald journalist visit Dubai? Their Souk it up article is dated 1st July 2007 but there is no way even a mad dog or an Englishman is enjoying al fresco hot beverages at this time of year.

Though perhaps heatstroke is the kindest explanation for such a fevered advertorial storycake. The Madinat is indeed scenic with its artificial canals and faux windtowers. But "men in long white flowing robes" drinking coffee in 100 degree heat? Not unless Jumeirah International has started scattering actors around its properties for extra Arabian authenticity. "Mysteriously veiled" women "flitting" about? Come on. This is barely a step away from the harem scene in Carry On Up My Camel.

"I throw open the veranda doors..."

And crank up the air conditioning?

"Except for the occasional golf buggy that zips along the path, I could easily imagine sailing through an Arabian Nights fairytale with Sinbad the Sailor."

The keyword here is "fairytale".

"The writer was a guest of Emirates and Madinat Jumeirah."

Say no more.

Float your boat

Queen Elizabeth II is moving to Dubai to live at The Palm.

Or at least her boat version is. The QE2, the world's most famous cruise ship, has been bought from Cunard by Istithmar. She will berth at The Palm Jumeirah in 2009 on a specially built pier and become a luxury floating hotel.

The ship will get a full refurbishment. Presumably this will include removing the pictures of the British royal family and replacing them with more sheikhly portraits. And the casino will have to go - or maybe not, if the vessel counts as "off shore".

Sheikh Mo had a steamboat
It cruised across the main
It anchored at The Palm one day
And never sailed again

"Sun, sand and slavery"

Leo Hickman, who has written a book about the real cost of tourism, visited Dubai as part of his research. He got to stay at the Burj al Arab for free, but then took a day trip to Sonapur There he spoke to an Afghan called Rahmatula about his life in Dubai:

"By six he is at the building site, where hundreds of luxury villas are being constructed, and immediately starts moving bricks by hand. "I have 15 minutes for my lunch 'hour'," he says. "I always eat roti bread with vegetable curry made the night before, which I bring with me." He says that he's not allowed to stop again, even if he's hot and needs water. If he does, pay will be deducted from his salary. "I've been working here for five years and my salary is now 800 dirhams [£110] a month, but with overtime I get it up to 1,100. I send home 600 dirhams a month," he says with evident pride.

"I can't help looking at his sweat-stained shirt and thinking of the bath-and-caviar service at the Burj al-Arab. It would take Rahmatula more than three months of picking up bricks, I calculate, to earn enough money to pay for such a bath."

Hickman's book, The Final Call, isn't just about Dubai, it looks at the dark side of tourism worldwide. Hickman writes that despite the claim that tourism "nurtures world peace, love and understanding" there is little evidence for this:

"Instead, the bounty is carved up between a select few, while far too many of the industry's workers, particularly in developing nations, are no more than wage-slaves scratching out a pitiful living."

The fall of the wall

The land northeast of the Burj Al Arab has long been the subject of trusty old expat rumour. Allegedly Mohammed Al Fayed owned it, and the government was reportedly having a devil of a time getting it back from the wily pharoah for development. But the fact that land in Dubai can be CPOd from any UAE national at any time for any reason rather files this legend into the unlikely folder.

Either way, Dubai's last decent stretch of public beach (the Russian beach in Jumeirah 1 is too overrun by perverts to qualify as usable without body shields) appeared to be under threat earlier this month. A huge great wooden barrier was put up, with construction of yet another yawnsome bloody beachfront development project set to begin.

But then suddenly this beachside Berlin Wall is to come down by order of Sheikh Mohammed, with construction work to cease:

"The good news came last night when Shaikh Mohammad instructed Dubai Municipality to stop the construction work immediately and remove the boundary wall erected to cordon off the beach for a construction project.

"The beach should be left open for the public, the municipality was told. A major part of the Jumeirah beach in Umm Suqeim near Burj Al Arab was blocked by the developer for construction work earlier this month."

What could be the reason for the sheikhly change of heart? Surely not the thousands of angry surfers, sunbathers and swimmers firing off emails and signing internet petitions. Last year's tepid tourism figures may be a likelier bet.

Eskimos in Dubai

Not everyone is impressed by Ski Dubai:

Speaking in fluent English with a Canadian accent, [Inuit teenager] Jeremiah said the Ski Dubai "wasn't that fun". Faith agreed by saying, "It was actually boring." Perhaps it is even worth mentioning that both entered the ski resort wearing plain T-shirts, eventually catching people's attention in a rather bizarre way.

Next week: an Emirati family travels to Greenland, and wears overcoats in the sauna.

High life, low life

TV Terry is back in the sandlands, on a themed high life:low life holiday.

The high life includes some alpine excercise on the snowy slopes of Ski Dubai, where Terry excels at the reverse snow-plough - the quickest way to do the splits on skis. Other lofty attractions include the 50-storey glass lifts at Emirates Towers, a balloon ride high up over the Creek, and brunch at the very peak of the Burj Al Arab with its panoramic views of The Palm.

The low life involves a safari in the narrow alleyways and dive bars of the Golden Sands area, taking in Bur Dubai's increasingly endangered nocturnal wildlife, potholing in Cyclones and whatever what-was-the-Arif-Castle is now, and tunnelling through the shady souqs in hope of excavating some cheap souvenirs.

All the way up, and all the way down.

Ex-con excursions

A holiday in Dubai: seven star hotels, world class amusement parks, hyper luxury shopping, pristine golden beaches, year-round-sunshine, and now...

...rent-a-lag:

Dubai: Inmates who serve their sentences and successfully pass a tourist guide course will soon show tourists and sightseers around the city's landmarks, in a new initiative by Dubai Police.

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will soon organise tourist training courses for 60 male and female inmates at the Dubai Central Jail.

What fantastic fun for all the family, trying to guess whether their tour-guide is a former burglar, crackhead, rapist or murderer!

Kudos to jail bosses for wanting to rehabilitate these guys, but try to find something a little less front-line for them to start out with.

Skiing in the rain

Dubai cannot cope with rain. It is a city built only for desert, with flat roofs, limited drainage and few umbrellas for sale. A small amount of water turns highways into slimy, skidding death traps. A downpour floods roads, pavements and car parks, creating gleaming lakes in the desert that last several days before slowly sinking away.

Rain is also not part of Dubai's Great Tourism Plan. It forced Trevor, a visiting customs official, to swap his plans of sun for snow. As the chairlift ascends in the hermetically sealed snow tube, he laments his lack of tan.

"It's not what you expect in the bloody desert is it? Seven days of rain. I definitely wasn't planning on a skiing holiday."

Through his job, Trevor has more knowledge of the capacity of various bodily orifices than any gynaecologist or obstetrician. It will be difficult to regard cylindrical shampoo bottles in the same light ever again, after his cheerily recounted work anecdotes.

One thing in Dubai is always improved by rain. The blue dome of Persia Court at Ibn Battuta mall, which grows duller over time with layers of thick sand and dust, is once again a shining, dazzling azure.

SpiceDisneyWorld

"They are building a roof," the stallholder explained, "to make nice for tourists."

Dubai's Old Spice Souq, one of the city's most traditional attractions, is getting Disneyfied.

And thank God.

It might seem strange to welcome the makeover and modernisation of a historic icon such as the Spice Souq, but the reality is that the souq faced a grim future. Spice sellers were losing out to bulk-selling hypermarkets located in more accessible areas. Gridlock and distance and the intense summer heat all keep residents away from the souqs. But for tourists they can still be a great attraction.

So what is actually happening there? Currently there is a ton of scaffolding up, much like everywhere in the sandlands, making it a bit less pretty but still accessible. One of the stalls has shut down, and been replaced by a fresh juice cafe. That and the increased shade will presumably benefit tourists and spice sellers alike. After all, they did a pretty good job refurbishing Bur Dubai souq. It was never going to be Khan El Khalili, but it feels traditional enough, and so will the Spice Souq. Plus you can buy herbal Viagra and Lady-A-Vergin there, so what's not to like?

Beach wail

Despite its ever-extending coastline and endless promotion of its year-round sun, sea and sand, Dubai does not have a single beach cafe. Excepting ludicrously overpriced tourist traps at five star hotels, where the general public must pay hundreds of dirhams just to access the beach, there is not a single beach-side cafe in the entire emirate. (The cafe at Jumeirah Beach Park is also excepted, as the park is paid entry. Besides which its menu is a foul obesity-hastening horror of grease and junk).

What is surely needed is something like Lime Tree cafe next to a stretch of public beach, such as the Russian beach, Wollongong University beach, or north-of-the-Burj beach. Fresh juices, healthy snacks and sandwiches, a range of good ice creams, and perhaps a selection of suncreams, sun-glasses and the like. Nice wooden tables where one can sit in comfort - air conditioned in summer - and enjoy a sunset drink while watching the sun sink gently into the smog.

Despite the huge crowds of all nationalities that gather on Dubai's beaches in intense heat and sun all year round, for some reason there is not a single cafe remotely like this. Perhaps the hotels form a kind of cartel on beach side catering, preventing all but five-star tourists from enjoying the sea view? Or perhaps a beach side cafe is considered the ultimate in local-youth-corrupting western depravity - an excuse to linger in comfort with a bird's eye view of exposed flesh?

Guide to Dubai

With the world's eyes on Dubai over the ports controversy, here's a ten-point guide for foreigners considering a sojourn in the sandlands:

1. Language
You will need fluency in Arabic - including several Gulf dialects - to get by in Dubai, otherwise it will be impossible to even buy a loaf of bread or make a phone call.

2. Women
Traditionally, western expatriate women were required to live in a custom-built compound known as Jumeirah, which became increasingly cramped and run-down over the decades. The government has now built new, spacious enclosures for them in the middle of the desert, scenically and inaccurately titled "Hills", "Lakes", "Meadows" and so forth.

3. Driving
There are two types of driving license in Dubai. Category A is granted only to Arabs and westerners, and requires them to drive at no less than 200kmph on all major and minor roads. Purchase of a high-end four-wheel drive vehicle is mandatory with this licence. Category B is given to Asian expats, and requires that they drive below 60kmph in the fastest two lanes of all highways. Holders of Category B licences may only drive white Nissan Sunnies.

4. Locals
All locals in Dubai - that is to say the men in white and the women in black - have private oil wells in their palace gardens, giving them an average income of two million dollars each per week. When a child is born, a new well is drilled for it (similar to a "christening gift" in the west, but somewhat more useful).

5. Money
The money used in Dubai is called "wasta". A concept currency called the "dirham" also exists, but it is the equivalent to Green Shield stamps or internet "beanz" and has no real purpose beyond the UAE edition of Monopoly. To earn wasta, you visit important people and say appreciative things, and they may make a donation into your wasta pouch.

6. Sport
Sadly, the era of camel racing is long past, since foetal jockeys were forcibly repatriated to their mother's wombs in Bangladesh. Today's favourite competitive sport among UAE locals is a real-life version of Sim City, where families compete to build the biggest towers, earning bonus points if they max out Construction Chaos and achieve Gridlock Level 100.

7. Entertainment
All films are banned in the UAE due to various cultural sensitivities. But never fear! Cinema halls are far from silent: being filled instead with the haunting music of the Dubai Ringtone Symphony Orchestra.

8. Communication
Rather than having the internet, the UAE has a special communications system known as the Proxy, which consists of a few outdated html documents cached in a government office. To retrieve one of these documents, sandlanders must produce residence visas, passport copies and salary certificates in quadruplicate, and pay several thousand "wasta". Once the transaction is complete they can happily scan this document into their computer, and surf away! (That's if they're lucky enough not to get the notorious "Blocked" page, which accounts for 97.4% of all html documents in the cache).

9. Tourguides
As a tourism hub, hospitality in the sandlands is second to none. Any lost-looking visitors wandering around the streets, or entering a hotel, or just driving around in their car will rapidly be approached by one of tens of thousands of charming, multicultural "hostesses" who will help them feel very welcome. (Around 300 of the "dirham" Green Shield stamps is an appropriate tip for their services, perhaps 400 if they take you on a special tour of the back alleys).

10. Miscellaneous
Watches and other time-keeping devices are illegal in the sandlands, since punctuality is a serious affront to the local culture. Hazans are sufficient to wake residents up each morning. However, expats desperately wanting to know the time can drive to the Clocktower Roundabout in Deira (or walk, which is probably quicker) and get their horological fix.

We're all going on a summer holiday

...but not to Dubai, in the case of many British holidaymakers:

"Dozens of UK holidaymakers are understood to have cancelled their trips to Dubai after a documentary showing construction work at Jumeirah Beach Residence.

"The programme, Package Holidays Uncovered, was screened on British channel ITV earlier this month. The reporter visited the Hilton Jumeirah and highlighted heavy construction work immediately opposite the hotel."

The only surprising thing about this story is that it took a documentary to alert people. Surely word-of-mouth from friends and family would have been quicker? When glossy brochure promises of either "ocean" or "desert" views turn out to be dredging or dust?

"But a source at a major hotel slammed the state of the area. "The biggest problem is the litter," said the source, who asked not to be named. "There’s styrofoam and plastic everywhere, and the road is turning into a dirt track.

""It doesn’t exactly set a good first impression to visitors." The hotels say they have been able to fill most of the rooms with other customers. Mohammad Abdul Mannan at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said the problems were regrettable but necessary as Dubai grows."

It has always been a concern that Dubai risked getting the Costa Del Hell reputation that dogged Spain in the 1980s, of half-built hotels, endless building sites and general construction disorder. But the bigger concern is how is it going to shake this reputation off, with major tourism projects under construction for the next decade or more?

Costa del Souq

Given that artists' impressions of future developments usually gleam with a space-age utopian swirl, to see a maxi-billboard poster featuring a depressed 1970s tower-block slum as "your home by the sea" is more than worrying. Just how ugly the concrete horrors of Jumeirah Beach Residence will eventually turn out to be is unfathomable.

With all the endless construction, it is no wonder tourists are starting to get disillusioned. This month's Time Out, the only rag fit for something better than a worst enemy's lavatory paper, has a letter from a very disappointed Pete Tilbury.

Mr Tilbury quite reasonably compares Dubai of the New Millennium to Benidorm in the early 1980s:

"Package tourists came back from their trips saying that their hotels were in the middle of building sites and that things were in a terrible mess. While Dubai is not quite in that sorry state, [isn't it?] I felt that there was very little space that didn't look like it was under development and for me at least, it was not what I wanted or expected from a quite expensive holiday."

While few doubt that when finished, Dubai will largely be shining and superb (bar the seaside Tower Hamlets), overcoming negative tourist impression generated by the Great Construction Era will be a mighty task.