Dubai is a very tolerant, cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Its residents are made up of more than 200 different nationalities – all living together harmoniously. Demonstrating a heritage of rich Arabian hospitality, Dubai is a very welcoming city. Just when visiting any foreign destination, the local customs and culture should be respected. Being largely a Muslim country, it is recommended to dress modestly, particularly within the workplace. The work week runs from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday being the weekend. The usual business hours are adhered to in most private enterprises, but government buildings may close around 2.30pm each day.
Dubai is the region’s biggest business hubs, with its central global location playing a vital role in its importance within international commerce. Business travellers should not take offence if, when meeting with professionals of the opposite sex, they are not offered a handshake. To avoid any awkwardness, the best advice is to wait for a hand to be offered to you. It’s worth remembering that Muslims are required to pray five times a day as part of their faith. Most of the time this will go unnoticed by business travellers, but it’s worth bearing in mind when planning your meeting schedule.
A relatively new tourist destination, Dubai was gaining popularity in recent years until the global economic crash of 2008. Dubai is essentially a desert city with superb infrastructure, liberal policies (by regional standards), that became popular for its excellent tourist amenities. Just 5 h from Europe and 3 h from most parts of the Middle East, the Near East, and the subcontinent of India, Dubai makes a great short break for shopping, partying, sunbathing, fine dining, sporting events, and even a few sinful pleasures. It is a city of superlatives: for the fastest, biggest, tallest, largest and highest, Dubai is the destination. It has the largest immigrant population in the world. The weekly day off is on Friday. Note that, since September 2006, a harmonised weekend of Friday and Saturday has been adopted for the public sector and schools.
Dubai's main airport is the Dubai International Airport. You can also enter Dubai by using Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) in the nearby emirate of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) in nearby Abu Dhabi. Frequent visitors from countries granted automatic visa on entry may wish to purchase an e-gate card to speed up immigration formalities and save passport pages. The e-gate card office is situated in the upstairs foodcourt area of the terminal 1 departures concourse. The card will cost AED 200. Note: If you intend to buy an e-gate card in Dubai, you must have entered UAE via Dubai airport.
Terminals 1 and 3 are directly connected to each other via the airside (no immigration needed for transfer), while Terminal 2 is located at the other end of the airport. Terminals 1 and 3 are models of modern airport design, but Terminal 2, despite the recent renovations, is still reminiscent of developing world airports, with long check-in lines, queue-jumping and every other passenger checking in 70 kg of luggage. Shuttle buses between the three run every 20-30 min. However shuttles to Terminal 2 are sporadic at best, so a 30 min taxi ride may be your only option. A low-cost option for traveling to Terminal 2 is to catch the metro to a nearby station, such as GGICO metro station, and from there catch a taxi to Terminal 2.
Dubai's only international road border is with Oman at Al Wajajah. Expatriate residents of Oman will require an official permit to exit Oman by road. Visitors do not require the permit. There is an OMR 3.000 charge per vehicle to exit Oman and, if returning, retain the charge receipt as it will be required to reenter. Ensure that insurance is valid for the UAE (preferably before commencing the journey). Temporary UAE insurance can be purchased at the border for a premium price.There are also road borders between the neighbouring Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Oman at the Al Burami Oasis which divides the sister cites of Al Ain and Al Burami, Oman.
Giorgio Armani's first hotel opened in 2010 in the world's tallest tower, Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa, amid much fanfare. Built on the first 39 floors of the dart-shaped skyscraper, the resort is part-residences, part-hotel - although the same brooding style underpins everything. Sharp lines, neutral tones, stone and mahogany predominate: you can almost smell the masculinity. The best rooms have vast balconies overlooking the Dubai Fountain, another record-breaker with water that shoots as high as 150 metres into the air.
The hotel sits at the furthest point of the islands' outer frond (accessible via a long drive or a shorter boat ride), lending it an air of honeymoon-friendly seclusion. This despite its large size: 64 rooms, 26 suites and four villas in large Moorish-stylemansions. But One&Only The Palm is best known for its restaurants, fronted by chef Yannick Alléno of three-Michelin-starred Le Meurice in Paris. They are STAY (the acronym for Simple Table Alléno Yannick), which aims to show that fine food need not be pretentious; the international restaurant Zest; and 101, a bar-restaurant-lounge that simply sings St Tropez. Price rating: 5/5
Connect seamlessly from the airport to your meeting using Dubai’s state-of-the-art transport system. You’ll find a string of public taxis awaiting your arrival and, being a relatively small city, you can expect to be at your hotel or remote office in under 30 minutes. They accept most major credit cards, and will soon be wifi-enabled for passengers to stay connected on the go. You can alternatively use apps such as Uber or local-based Careem to hire a taxi. Alternatively, jump on the Dubai Metro.
The Red Line runs through the heart of the city along the arterial Sheikh Zayed Road. Stations serve the primary business hubs, such as the World Trade Centre, host to many of the city’s big conventions and exhibitions, and the Dubai International Financial Centre (hop off at Financial Centre station). The line continues all the way south to Jebel Ali and is being extended to eventually serve the World Expo 2020 site. To make the most of Dubai’s public transport system, purchase a prepaid NOL card, which can be used for the Metro, Tram, buses and taxis. NOL cards can be purchased from any of Dubai’s Metro stations and selected bus stations.
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