10 Reasons For Making Dubai Your Home

By Abdul Ghafoor

1. Economic Opportunities: Dubai is a fast growing economy with growth rates well above 15% last year and double digit for many years in running now. Last few years have seen Dubai growing from a tiny city state to a huge metropolitan city. Hundreds of Billions of Dollars have been pouring in every year to fuel the building Bonanza that is unparalleled in the History of the region at least, if not the history of the world. There are all kinds of opportunities to make money in Dubai. These opportunities abound in Investments or Setting up your own business or if you wish to seek employment and you think that you are better than the best, then Dubai is a place that has a huge appetite for Experts and Talented people. Corporate world can’t get hold on enough Human Capital and this creates opportunities for people all around the world. You would be amazed that there are 180 nationalities working in Dubai. Dubai is also known to create opportunities for Companies from around the world when they visit Dubai to showcase their products and services to the buyers from around the world in the Trade fairs and Trade Exhibitions that are held in the Exhibition halls and Convention Centers of Dubai World Trade Center.

2. TAX FREE INCOME: What more reason you want to apply yourself best when you are secure in the knowledge that whatever you earn, it’s all yours and you don’t have to pay Income or wealth or Corporate Taxes. There are no Taxes in Dubai! Wow! That’s cool.

3. LIFE STYLE IN DUBAI: Minimum Living Standards in Dubai (improving all the time) are much higher than many Fast Developing Economies of the world. Dubai offers a range of Life Style options. World Class infrastructure, Quality Products with High Class living options offer a great choice of Life-Style you wish to live in Dubai. Living in a posh residence and driving a chic car is very much in your reach. Cost of living has gone up in recent years due to massive influx of people opting to live in Dubai from around the world and thus hiking the rents exponentially.

4. ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE IN DUBAI: For expatriates living in Dubai the nightlife is going to be one of the first things to check out! It’s after dark that the social scene in Dubai really kicks off and there are such a wide variety of events, attractions and venues offering a very impressive array of nightlife entertainment that it can be hard to know where to start! Dubai is a fast paced, hard working, young, pulsating place and the nightlife purely reflects the vibe of the city. If you’re going to be living in Dubai the nightlife will not let you down and you will have a different venue and a different event to sample every time you venture out! For the latest bar, pub, club and event listings and reviews, Time Out Dubai is a good source.

5. SHOPPING IN DUBAI: Dubai is shopping haven not only for the expatriates living in Dubai but also for visitors and tourists on short visits to this city state. The experience starts right from the Dubai Duty Free Shops which are probably the best in the world in terms of Variety, Prices and ambience. There is an aura about Dubai Duty Free shops or DDF. Millionaire Raffle and Raffles for Luxury Cars and Bikes offer great opportunity to win Big and are very popular Tickets around the world. Moving away from DDF and into the city, there is a wide range of Shopping choices – from Posh Malls selling exclusive Brands from all over the world to exotic Souks (Souk or Souq is Arabic word for market) for affordable, everyday shopping. Gold and Spice Souks are big tourist attraction due to their unique character and variety of products at bargain prices. Shopping is boosted during Dubai Shopping Festival (January-February) and Dubai Summer Surprises (June – August) and billions of Dollars are poured into Dubai Economy during these Shopping periods.

6. ACCESSIBILITY TO THE WORLD: Dubai Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world now. It’s home to scores of airlines flying in and to almost all corners of the world and places in-between. Accessibility is not an issue at all. You can catch a Direct flight to almost all the major cities of the world and there would be multiple choices in terms of Airlines and timings for each of these destinations. Emirates Airlines is Flag-bearer Airline of Dubai and is considered (voted many a times) one the top Airlines of the world where Air Crew speaks at least 7-8 languages if not more! Dubai Airport is expanding all the time and good news is that there is a new airport in the offing to be built alongwith a whole new city in Jabel Ali.

7. EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN: Expatriates have a range of schools to choose from in terms of location and curriculum. The majority of schools have a website with information on curriculum, method of teaching and annual fees etc. It is wiser to locate your accommodation nearer to Schools as Traffic congestion at peak hour can prove to be a nightmare for both children and parents alike. Those who herald from the UK or USA have the greatest choice of schools in UAE because the majority of establishments follow either the British or American curriculum. For those seeking alternatives there are French schools in Dubai and there’s an Australian and a German school in Sharjah. There are number of Indian and Pakistani Schools offering curricula based on home country’s education systems.

8. WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE: Dubai, as a true metropolitan, is always working on providing the world class infrastructure to compliment the image that it has carved over the years in the comity of city states. Roads, although falling short yet catching fast with the pace of development, the flyovers and overhead bridges, the underpasses etc. compete with the best in the world in terms of quality and finesse as well as safety standards. Dubai Metro Project is in full swing running toward the completion of its first phase and once completed will offer respite to the commuters who are often caught in the traffic maze for hours at stretch these days. The whole city is one big workshop for the Metro project. Other infrastructure like Exhibition Centers, Telecommunication facilities, Bandwidth of Internet, and Air and Sea Travel facilities for Passengers as well as cargo are simply top of the line.

9. CULTURAL & SPORT EXPERIENCE: Dubai is often called a cultural melting pot. The description couldn’t be more accurate as there are 180 different nationalities that are working and living in such a small place. There are all types of events going on all the time. Theater and Art exhibitions are fast becoming regular features of the city’s Cultural Scene. For the discerning eyes and ears there is plenty going on in places like Madinat Theater and other art galleries.
Sport is another facet that is putting Dubai on World map. Dubai is regularly organizing mega events in Tennis, Horse Racing and Golf and Rugby etc. where the best names in the respective sports grace the city by competing and entertaining the sport lovers.

10. SECURITY: Dubai is one of the safest places on earth. One can walk at any time of the day or night on the streets and walkways of Dubai without any fear of getting Robbed or attacked.
With almost negligible Crime, one must commend the authorities for creating such security apparatus where security forces are hardly seen on public places yet everyone feels safe. They are vigilant and yet not ostensible. No Doubt a newcomer feels very welcomed in Dubai.

I am an Ex-Pat living in Dubai for last 10 years. I moved to Dubai in 1997 when I bid farewell to my lucrative banking career to venture into something more challenging and less certain – Entrepreneurship! And that too in a totally foreign land and settled in Dubai.

I simply Love Dubai because this is the only place on this planet which excites people from all over the world to come here for Tourism, for work and for Living.

If you are living in Dubai and are not involved in Hospitality and Real Estate, then you are missing the action. I don't believe in missing the action so I Run Short term rental Apartments and Sell Real Estate not only in Dubai but also in other States of UAE.For a detailed listing of international, British and American Schools try http://english-schools.org and for a list of schools specifically in the UAE try
http://www.theemiratesnetwork.com/dir/Education/Schools/ where the schools are divided by emirate and where you can find internet links to the majority of institutions listed.