Why do Indians love Dubai?

Dubai, the most popular city of the United Arab Emirates, has always attracted tourists because of its luxury shopping malls, flamboyant buildings, plethora of amusement options and super luxury hotels. The Indian tourists especially have a special inclination and affinity towards Dubai. Most of the Indians travelers have Dubai on their bucket list. From the middle class to the highly affluent, we find all Indian tourists flocking to Dubai. Over two million Indians traveled to Dubai in 2018. So why are Indians traveling to Dubai?

• Dubai is just 3-3.5 hrs from major cities of India. So for people who are planning on traveling abroad, Dubai is a good option if they are short of time. All major airlines have flights for Dubai daily. There are about 1500 flights a week between India and Dubai.
• The return fare to Dubai is also reasonable and you can get fares from Rs 12K if you plan in advance. Finding hotels is not an issue, as Dubai is bursting with good hotels to suit all types of tourists.
• There are countless dining options available in Dubai which cater to the tastes and budget of all Indian tourists. In addition, there is no dearth of Indian and vegetarian restaurants which make us feel at home. Bur Dubai has Indian restaurants in a row. Chains of popular Indian restaurants can also be found here.
• Over 2.2 million Indian migrants live in UAE, which forms 30% of the total population. So we find Indians everywhere in Dubai and even the local people talk and understand Hindi. Add Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to this pool, and we may not realize that we are in a foreign country. Because of this dense Indian population, seeing women and men in Indian attire is very common
• One of the biggest attractions for Indians is the Gold Souk in Dubai. Indians have a fascination for gold and gold jewelry. The gold rate in Dubai has always been cheaper than India because of the tax component. Plus the purity here is genuine. Punishment for forgery is very high here, so people don’t cheat. As a result, most of the Indian ladies make a beeline for Gold Souk to buy pure gold or gold ornaments. You may find it ridiculous, but you can buy gold from a vending machine in Dubai. No wonder the custom people keep a special lookout for Indians returning from Dubai at the airport.
• Besides Gold, electronics also fascinates Indian tourists and it’s found in abundance in Dubai. Famous brands from all over the world can be found in huge electronics store. We can see Indian tourists buying electronics ranging from smart phones to Television and carrying them back home. The prices in Dubai are comparatively cheaper and choices are tenfold. It is definitely worth the hype.
• Indians are generally cash rich. Government of India has lots of rules and compliances. It’s not easy to shop in India using cash nowadays. Dubai is full of luxury goods and high end products. You can find them going on a shopping spree in Dubai Mall and other malls. Clothes, handbags, watches, electronics, and travel bags – you name it, they have it and Indians are buying it. Favorite is of course Gold because of lower Gold Rate in Dubai.
• Not only western wear, Dubai has options for shopping Indian attire also, which you don’t find in any other foreign land. Just pay a visit to Meena Bazaar Dubai and you will be surprised to see so many Indian tourists buying saris, Pakistani suits, fake branded purses and of course gold jewelry. Pakistanis have used Dubai to sell their goods to Indians as they cannot come to India easily. So you have best Pakistani lawn cotton available which can be stitched in one day by the proficient Pakistani tailors. Meena Bazaar is hot favorite of Indian tourists.
• Keeping the shopping aside, there are numerous tourist attractions in Dubai which make it worthwhile for Indians to come here. Topping the list is the skyscraper Burj Khalifa. With a height of 829.8 m and 160 stories, Burj Khalifa is a major attraction for all the tourists. The whole area around Burj Khalifa is a heaven for tourists. There is Dubai Mall, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Aquarium and many more. At the top of Burj Khalifa, gives a chance to the tourists to go on the 148Th floor of Burj Khalifa and see the breathtaking Dubai from the top. One can dine at the 122nd floor of Burj Khalifa. During Christmas, fireworks from Burj Khalifa are worth watching and many Indian tourists come to Dubai just to watch it.
• Ferrari World, Lego land, Sky Dubai, Burj al Arab, Atlantis Aquaventure Water park is a few of the famous destinations in Dubai, which are unique for Indian tourists and proves to be a major attraction. Indians are always interested in trying new things and Dubai has quite a few to offer.
• Dubai Miracle Garden has recently been developed and it’s a new craze among Indians. Miracle Garden is a flower garden that has 50+ million blooming flowers which are arranged in a variety of designs and patterns. Cottages, trucks, animals, and even Burj Khalifa is made with flowers. Visiting Miracle Garden is an incredible experience for Indian tourists visiting Dubai and which should not be missed.
• Jumeirah beaches, Medinat, Dubai Aquarium, Kite beach are also very popular amongst Indian tourists.
• India has lots of malls and we love them. But when you see the Dubai Mall, you realize what we are missing. Dubai Mall opened in 2008. Dubai Mall is the second-largest mall in the world and includes 1200 shops. Even if you roam the whole day, you won’t be able to cover Dubai Mall in a day. Dubai Mall is spread in an area of 13 million square feet. Dubai Mall even has a full-sized ice skating rink and an aquarium inside it. Visiting Dubai mall is a must for all tourists to Dubai. Most of the Indian tourists love Dubai Mall as it has everything inside. Best eating joints, the choicest brands, activities, cinema hall, etc. The famous Burj Khalifa is also adjacent to Dubai Mall.
• We are a star stuck nation. We love our celebrities. In Dubai, it’s very common to come across Bollywood and Tellywood stars while roaming in the mall or some high budget hotels. And aren’t we thrilled seeing them? Many concerts and events by Indian celebrities are organized in Dubai, in fact more than India.
• Dubai has hotels which are very reasonable and then we have hotels like Atlantis which can compete with the best in the world. Tourists can choose what they want according to their budget and needs. But standards of Dubai hotels are very high. A 3-star property can easily pass for a 4-star property elsewhere in world.
• It’s very convenient for tourists to roam about in Dubai because of the adequate metro and the taxis which are not as expensive as Europe and the USA. In addition, all the taxi drivers are Pakistanis and Indians, so there is no language problem while communicating with them. The streets and public areas are pristine clean unlike India and who wouldn’t love it. In addition, security is not a problem. Dubai is considered to be one of the safest cities today. Even woman, both tourists, and residents can roam about alone late at night unlike in most cities of India
• No Indian tourists return without experiencing the Dubai Desert Safari. It is an altogether different experience.
• Another thing which attracts Indian tourists is the range of super-luxury cars we see in Dubai. Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce are all seen on the roads easily and quite often. You can even find a gold plated car here. After living in Dubai for some time, I can bet that you won’t give second look to a normal Ferrari or Porsche.
• Last but not the least, all washrooms in Dubai have a Jet hose which we do not find anywhere besides India. For us Indians, this is a necessity. And the toilets are amazingly clean.