Tourism In Dubai

General introduction

Located on the Persian Gulf, Dubai is one of the seven states of the United Arab Emirates, and tourism is of utmost importance to land’s rapidly growing economy. Tourism as an industry contributes to various aspects of the economy, examples include various service industries including, but not limited to: transportation services, like airlines, cruise lines, and taxis, as well as accommodation services, like hotels or resorts, and finally entertainment services, like stadiums, and shopping malls. From an economic perspective it’s very easy to understand the tremendous effect of tourism on the economy, indirectly it was accountable 28% of the GDP, and directly it is accountable for 17% of GDP. The concept of ecotourism is

The presence of tourists from all over the world may disrupt this culture, as described by the following quote by Susan Horner and John Swarbrooke (International Cases in Tourism Management, 2003), “Some of the tourism which has developed in Dubai is not without controversy. For an Islamic country, Dubai has a very liberal attitude towards alcohol and nightlife. Furthermore, it attracts residents and expatriate workers from other parts of the region where attitudes to alcohol and partying are less liberal. This could cause offense to some Dubai residents”. Furthermore if the amount of pollution created by various resources that must be made in higher amounts for tourists causes an increase in the greenhouse gas production of the country. One key example of this is water, as the bodies of water around Dubai are rich in salts, they must be transported through a Desalination plant prior to their consumption. This leads to the production of the equivalent of 4 billion bottles of water daily, and this production also yields a byproduct of heated sludge, which is pumped back into the sea. The effect of said pumping can be observed when looking at the salt levels of the water, it has steadily risen over the past years from 30,000 ppm, to 47,000 ppm from 1980-2012 (Liz Alderman, New York

“Going green” has become a trend that can only help the cause; making ecotourism a vital and invaluable business. We have established that ecotourism is a fairly new concept in Dubai. With the rapid development of country and its infrastructure a huge toll has been put on the wildlife and heritage. This reinforces the notion that ecotourism is a great way to promote tourism while decreasing the damage that will be caused by further economic development. Many more attractions have been centered on the natural environment like Dessert safaris, horse riding, bird watching, and surfing creating various tourist activities, whilst leaving the environment unscathed. Dubai has all the necessary resources to make these changes towards a greener tourism industry a huge success. All it needs is a more aggressive approach to involve more businesses and communities. Not only does Dubai have the environmental advantage it also has a cultural advantage. In the age where the Islamic culture has become an unnecessary taboo, activities involving exploration of the culture and heritage can help provide the world a new look into the true meaning of Islam and its followers. Doing this will put Islam, and as a result Dubai in a more educated holistic perspective which will in tern draw more people into the