Dubai tourists deny slowdown, flights full, malls busy
Flights are booked, malls are busy and residents go about their daily lives even as regional tensions remain a top headline. While residents and tourists said that Dubai is calm and still up-and-running, the city feels quieter.
A recent post from Varinder Bansal, the Omkara Capital founder, distilled what many tourists and residents are feeling. Coming from Mumbai to Dubai, he added that his flight had been full — and it is an indication that arrivals into the emirate has not reduced as much as they have in many online conversations.
“Reality is, people are still flying to Dubai. It is by no means empty,” he wrote.
Simultaneously, Bansal had started to see a decrease in tourists and traffic all around the city. “Dubai feels a lot lighter, definitely,” he said.
But life goes on as usual in our daily routine. In the last few days, he went to malls and restaurants, met friends and saw no signs of panic among the residents.
A trip to Mall of the Emirates on a recent weekend evening exemplified this dichotomy. Though not as packed as it would be at peak tourist season, the mall was hardly empty. Stores were busy, many restaurants were full and outlets used daily, like supermarkets and cafes, enjoyed constant footfall.
“Sure, there are fewer people, and shorter wait times, but nothing near the panic narrative that we’ve seen on social media,” he said.
Some of the first areas to be disrupted were close to the airport, such as Mirdif, where residents reported seeing drones in their neighbourhoods early on. But in other areas of the city like Downtown Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Road, little has changed. The occasional alerts still pop up on mobile phones for precautionary reasons, but it is back to business within minutes.
Bansal also highlighted signs of a transition in the property market, especially at the top end. Villas over Dh20 million have corrections of around 10 to 20 per cent, and deals in this segment are slower. But the mid-market (Dh2 million to Dh5 million) continues to hold steady.
“Buyers remain cautious, but sellers have also been reluctant to cut prices aggressively. It is a wait-and-watch phase,” he said.
For business owners, the reality on ground is strengthening confidence. Saeed Meeran, a Bangalore-based outfit designer, who recently went to Dubai to take client measurements and scout locations for his label, said the situation has spurred him on.
“I travel to Dubai frequently to meet my clients and receive their orders. There are some weddings for next month, but clients are still booking, fittings are happening and evenings feel normal.” I came here thinking it was going to be slow,” he said, noting that serious buyers still were in play.
“It’s not that the work has ceased, it’s just become more concentrated. “Seeing people going about their day despite tensions makes me more confident to operate here,” he said.
A fresh arrival from India, who reached Dubai on March 17, echoed a similar sentiment. “I wasn’t sure what to expect before travelling. But the flight was full, and once I arrived here, it felt normal and quieter,” said Ahmed Akram, a businessman.
After visiting areas from Deira and Bur Dubai to malls over the weekend, he said shops, restaurants and public spaces continue to remain populated.
“There is no sense of panic. Everything feels normal,” he said of people getting outside, seeing friends and returning to their routines.
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