Question

How has Dubai grown over the years

Answer 1

For me staying in Dubai makes me fascinated by its development everyday. Its leaders have strived a lot to make DUBAI WHAT IT IS TODAY. Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Contrary to popular belief, Dubai has close to no oil. Though the UAE has the 6th largest oil reserves in the world, it is almost entirely concentrated in one emirate, Abu Dhabi. Hence the growth that Dubai is witnessing today has very little to do with petro-dollars. Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, has used petro-dollars to fund its rapid development and still has enough reserves to support further groundbreaking growth and investments for a long time. 

Answer 2

Anyone who’s ever seen a photo of Dubai knows how quickly the city has turned desert into metropolis. And anyone who’s ever stepped foot in the city knows that photos don’t do justice to the massive scale of the city’s ambition. Ski slopes sit adjacent to man-made islands, not far from aquariums encased in enormous shopping malls, and hundreds of high-rise condos, many still awaiting residents. Now, finding a Dubai hotel with fewer than five stars is harder than it was to find Dubai on a map 30 years ago. That was before the city state—de facto culture capital of the United Arab Emirates—found oil, leveraged its oil, then realized the oil wouldn’t be sustainable, so it diversified its economy into tourism and real estate. But the cornerstone of Dubai’s economy isn’t oil, it’s logistics: getting people and materials into a city that not long ago was just overheated expanse of desert. Welcome to Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai’s second busiest passenger airport (and highly unhappy about being in second place). The current busiest is Dubai International, home of Emirates, one of the world’s biggest airlines. Dubai International will be expanded too, but Al Maktoum, which is part of an even bigger complex called Dubai World Central, will ultimately be bigger and busier. Last week, Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum endorsed a $32 billion influx of money to start building the world’s largest travel hub. Under a ambitious plan to grow Al Maktoum, the airport aspires to accommodate 200 million people—far bigger than the current busiest airport in Atlanta (94 million passengers a year), as well as Beijing (83 million), and London (72 million). Dubai’s project will take six to eight years and, when finished, is likely to be the go-to crosswords for international travelers, goods, and of course, money. Just watch the promotional video the airport authority already made.