Israel UAE | Business Guide | 2021

J ust fivedecades ago, youwere a spot of adesertwithout a dock or a department of immigration. People, just hopped on to your shores from a boat. Your modes of transport were the lanky camel and the picturesque dhow in 1971 . Then, you commenced the onerous journey of nation- building. The seven emirates bonded, as brothers. There were about 250 , 000 nationals. However, you were a visionary. You wanted to accomplish overnight, what developed countries had taken centuries to achieve. That was the challenge. Best of the World So, you decided to bring in the best of theworld, in a tearing hurry. A zero-taxation systemfromSingapore, technology from USA and Japan, administration from Britain, labour from Asia, professionals from the world. You have travelled far and fast. Now, shopping, tourism, financial services enrich you. Your GDP grewby eight per cent, but only three per cent of it was fromoil. You became the financial nerve center of the Middle East. You constructed monuments like Burj-Dubai, with breathtaking speed. You built gorgeous world-class hospitals, media, knowledge cities, hotels, restaurants and golf courses. You desalinized the seas, and covered the country with flowers and trees. You host a multi-cultural society where people from countries like the USA, Europe, Africa, Middle East and South Asia live, work and bond together. Churches and temples co-exist harmoniously with mosques. When people come to a country to work, they also need their own food. So, you have ensured that cuisine from around the world is available in almost every street or locality. In fact, many residents admit, they get better national food in UAE, than in their own countries. The Municipalities ensure high standards of hygiene, whether it is a seven-star hotel or a wayside coffee house. You are an oasis of tranquility and reason, in a region that is volatile and rackedwith battles. As the regional hub, your ports and airports receive goods from around the world, and then dispatch them to Africa, Middle East and South Asia. There are ice rinks and enchanting thememalls. You are the shopping mall of the world! The twinkling lights of Shaikh Zayed Road form a glittering necklace on the city. You play host to 16 million tourists every year. The UAE lures 21 million tourists annually. Enticing Townships You have evolved into a clean, enticing townships. The latest fashion and jewels jet to your malls, alluring the prettiest girls fromaround theworld. It is safe for a girl towalk alone, any time of the night. The police are sensibly invisible, but they are there, when needed. Your ambulances get patients to hospitals as fast as any in the world. Your “Gold souks”, in all the Emirates, are walks through fantasy lands. The months May to July, bake with heat. But the months November to Februarymake up, notmerely in temperature but also in fun and culture. Fashion shows, film festival, tennismatches, shopping festivals, parties, flower shows, crowd all diaries. The city that was built in the desert and brings the best of all worlds | Rajendra Aneja DUBAI, MY DEAR FRIEND! Israel-UAE > Business Guide > 2021 80 > Tourism > Dubai