Why is Dubai so Popular? 20 Reasons Why Dubai is Famous

Dubai as of 2019, is the 4th most popular tourist destination in the world. More than 16 million people have visited the city of Dubai from 2019 until early 2020. A lot of people across the world have made it their goal to visit Dubai or find work opportunities in this prestigious city. 

While there are 7 emirates in the UAE, Dubai has proven to be the most famous and quite aggressive in marketing itself to the global atmosphere. What is making millions of people see Dubai as a haven of opportunities? What makes Dubai so popular? Here we list the things that this emirate is famous for. 

Why is Dubai one of the more popular cities in the world?

Dubai is undoubtedly one of the famous cities that demands attention, and we’ll be giving you 20 reasons as to why Dubai deserves its popularity:

1. The City Skylines

Tourists around the globe know that the best way to catch visitor’s attention is to have really tall and majestic buildings. You might even notice that on postcards in every country there’s bound to be some skyscrapers or large buildings pasted there as abstract art.

In Dubai, Downtown has Burj Khalifa (tallest man made structure on earth), at the Marina it is a home to 4 out of 5 tallest residential buildings in the world. No matter where you look in the city of Dubai you can always find a great place to take pictures on as everything seems to be a great view.

2. Foodie Haven Galore!

With over 55% of the population filled with people from different cultures living or visiting Dubai, there’s bound to be a variety of food that anyone can be overwhelmed by the amount of choices. From Arab, Persian, Indian, Pakistani dishes to some Filipino, French, Chinese, Japanese and American food – people don’t need to go to different countries anymore to eat food from different cultures, they can all just go to Dubai and experience the unique flavours from various cuisines.

3. Dubai’s Multicultural City

200+ different nationalities live in Dubai and call it their home, majority of the workers are all from different countries, Dubai is said to be one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. The diversity in this city brings attention to a lot more tourists around the globe. 

4. The mesmerizing beaches

A lot of people travel and get attracted by beautiful beaches, in Dubai beaches are so common as there’s at least 1,000 km of coastline in the city, not to mention 300 days of sunshine per year – which means you can enjoy the sun and the sand almost anytime! Dubai’s government also makes sure that beaches are cleaned, they make sure to provide a lot of rules and regulations that citizens and visitors are required to follow, of course to keep one of the main tourist attractions clean. 

5. The Modern Art and Design capital of the Middle East

A lot of tourists make sure to visit museums and art galleries around the globe as the culture of a country is sprouted and seen in the art and art style displayed. Dubai is noted to be the capital of Modern Art and Design across the UAE, from Alserkal Avenue art district to undoubtedly amazing art galleries sprouting through the Financial Centre, Dubai shows its diversity in art as well. 

Dubai Design District has recently opened, Dubai also has art and design festivals that many visitors across the globe enjoy. 

6. Progression is one of Dubai’s goals! Smart Dubai City

Dubai is noted to be one of the fastest progressing cities across the globe, not long ago it was filled by fishermen and pearl-divers, now it’s a city of diverse cultures, oil-based economy and a city that focuses more on improving its tourism, businesses. There are bound to be new properties and places to see in Dubai as infrastructure is seen to pop-up overnight. Dubai is also very supportive of new businesses and new projects that everyone can enjoy!

Check out this popular evolution video of Dubai from the 1960s to the present:

7. The Palm Island

Palm Jumeirah is the world’s largest artificial island, it was built in 2001. It is a home to multi-million dollar mega mansion holders and a host of luxury hotels that doesn’t go lower than 5-stars. This palm island also includes the iconic Atlantis The Palm.

8. (Almost) No Language Barrier

The official language of Dubai is Arabic however due to the diversity of people residing in the city, there are a lot more people speaking in English or at least everyone knows how to communicate in simple English. So being social in Dubai is not going to be as hard with the diversity of languages spoken in the city.

9. Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

Dubai is the home of the biggest mall in the world (Dubai Mall) it is filled with high-end retail on every corner. Visitors come far and wide just to browse and buy in Dubai Mall, the diversity of the culture around Dubai is also captured in the retail the mall offers. Dubai has a month-long shopping festival with giveaways and concerts where shoppers can enjoy, they can also win cars and gold! The biggest shopping events in Dubai include Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, and GITEX Shopper Festival.

10. Gold Souk

The traditional Gold Souk, in contrast to the gigantic mall of Dubai, this traditional place is an Arabian jewelry market located in the oldest part of the city. The souk has been in the area of trade since the year 1940. A lot of buyers come from across the globe just to experience the wonders of gold in the gold souk, it is said that almost 10 tons of gold is present in the establishment. 

11. Riding an abra across Dubai Creek

Most people would rather lavish in the beauty of huge skyscrapers and 5-star hotels in Dubai but a lot of people have gotten to notice that just down the road, you can experience the Dubai Creek, the hustle and bustle of the area as it is the hive of activity since the pearl-fishing industry. You can cross the river in a traditional abra for cheap (only AED 1).

12. Amazing fireworks displays!

The opening of the iconic Atlantis hotel in 2009 had also opened the opportunity to display what a lot of people enjoy, FIREWORKS. Dubai has hosted a lot of the biggest fireworks displays in history. The spectacular New Year’s Eve firework display at the Burj Khalifa has become a main attraction point of Dubai’s celebration.

13. World Expo 2020

Back in November of 2013, Dubai was chosen as the host city for the 2020 World Expo, the city of Dubai has a lot of plans to make the Expo amazing. A purpose-built 438 hectare site which will house the event has attracted a lot of visitors, it brought investment money to the roof, around 40 billion dollars was invested into the economy just because of the hype of the World Expo 2020. 

14. Burj Al Arab – Famously for being hyped as a 7-star hotel

Dubai is creative with its skylines and infrastructure that there are noticed to have a lot of extravagant hotels from across the globe. The 7-star Burj Al Arab which opened in 1999 is an iconic symbol of the city. It stands on its own artificial island in Jumeirah beach, it is connected to the mainland by a private bridge. The hotel keeps a fleet of Rolls Royces for its guests, there’s even a private helipad if guests own choppers.

15. Brunches – but not your regular ones

Brunches in Dubai are more than the regular brunches you can think of. Dubai’s brunches are extravagant with its  over-indulgent-all-you-can-eat cuisine.

16. Skiing but in the desert

Yes, you read that right, Dubai has a ski slope in the desert. A 22k square meter, 85m high, 5 slope indoor ski resort. This ski resort also has the world’s first 400 metre long indoor black run.

17. Biggest fountain display in the world

The Dubai Fountain, a pretty spectacular sight. Made by the people who created the iconic Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas. The Dubai Fountain is illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 colored projectors. It’s almost 1,000 ft long. It shoots water up 500 ft into the air which is accompanied by amazing classical or contemporary music. 

18. Best bars and nightclubs around!

With miles and miles of beaches in Dubai a lot of infrastructure was built along with it, beach bars and nightclubs to be exact. Party goers around the globe mostly go to Dubai for its heir amazing beaches and the spectacular night outs that they can experience. Be ready to be entertained by some of the best DJs on the international circuit. Night clubs that are recommended for visitors are Pacha, Barasti, Coya, and Blue Marlin Ibiza.

19. High Paying Jobs and Luxurious Lifestyle

Dubai is known for its high paying jobs with high paying jobs with luxurious lifestyles. This is one of the reasons why Dubai is a favorite destination for Expats. Dubai has a low unemployment rate in the world. Companies in Dubai need employees all the time as Dubai is noted to be a successful business hub across the country. Almost every company offers high paying jobs to people from all over the world. 

20. A Popular travel hub in the world

The Dubai International Airport (DXB) recently has been noted to be the busiest airport in the world for international passenger traffic. Over 70 million passengers from across the globe pass through the DXB.

Emirates Airline, Dubai’s state carrier, has also made it into the world’s biggest international airline, more than ⅔ of the entire population of the planet has a direct flight to the City, no matter where you are you can easily go to Dubai due to the popularity and high demand of its travel hubs.

With all of these in mind, Dubai undoubtedly deserves its popularity!