Would you choose Dubai as a holiday destination?

All that and the reason you won't go is it's more expensive than it used to be?

Omg same! My four yr old wants to go to the Burj. Its one of the last places I'd want to thousands on going to.

You don't have to go to know about the slave workers.

No way, I’d hate to go to Dubai. But like you, I’d also pretend to be really impressed and excited for my colleague.

It just looks like a long flight to somewhere too hot and fake and expensive.

I definitely wouldn’t waste the CO2 emissions in a trip there, knowing I wouldn’t like it.

We went a couple of years ago - mainly to visit a family member living there

Teen kids loved it - loads of theme parks - mostly with no queues, fab water parks, the skyscrapers, they went skiiing, saw a show, the old medina and trips out to the desert dunes, museums, every type of food you can think of, very clean, hardly any crime, great weather, lovely hotels. No one bothered about what you wear, alcohol available in plenty of places, good service.

It's not for everyone, but not everything is awful about it

Dubai is very popular where I live - all ages - older couples and families. I can't see any attraction and OH calls it a shopping mall in the desert. I'm not that interested in shopping for clothes or jewellery and there doesn't seem to be anything appealing in it at all.

A friend recently went with her family for two weeks and they all really enjoyed it. The hotel they stayed in looked really luxurious, and the younger child seemed to have lots to do with attractions and activities.

I've only passed through the airport and I'm not particularly interested in seeing the rest of it (I imagine it all looks a lot like the airport) but presumably it's a good choice for some families.

No.

AFAIK neither of these places are CURRENTLY using slaves. Unlike Dubai!

@TheGoddessFreyja
Nope, would much rather go to a country that needs my economic support like Cuba, Sri Lanka etc

You won’t go to Dubai but you’re happy to go to Cuba which has an appalling human rights record, ‘disappears’ demonstrators and crushes any dissent?

I've been many times both with work and a couple of holidays. However, I would probably not go back now due to how expensive it is plus it is so built up. I started going in the 80's when it was a completely different place. As Emirate states go, it is fairly liberal and you do not get arrested for not dressing appropriately. Maybe hissed at by locals though. Alcohol is freely available in most hotels and restaurants.

Women are definitely second class citizens though as are Westerners in general. Don't ever get involved in a car accident regardless as to whether it is your fault, the Arab driver will always be blameless! Terrible human rights (or lack of them) for migrant workers.

Just to say, there are many other countries that do not tolerate homosexuality including the Maldives. Would you refuse to go there on principle too?

No. I stopped off there once for a couple of days in between long haul flights out of curiosity and to break up a long journey but I wouldn’t go there again. Even without all the human rights problems it is very expensive compared to pretty much every other country I have been to and I don’t understand why it would be anyone’s first choice of holiday destination.

It's mumsnet - everyone hates Dubai.

Even though they've never been 🤣

I think I'd like to go for a day to experience Atlantis the Palm. Obviously I'm not going to do that.
I don't think it appeals to me enough to warrant the amount of money it costs to go there. There are much nicer places.

I'd be interested to see what it's like, if it's as awful as I expect, but I don't intend to spend my precious holidays on going there to find out.

Plus the human rights issues make it doubly certain that I won't be going there.

No ! I did a 3 day stop over on the way back from a holiday in Australia and that was enough to say I’ve seen it / been there. No desire to spend anymore time there. Largely a concrete and glass jungle with displays of completely OTT opulence while the workers are clearly immigrants and paid peanuts.

No. I couldn't bear to spend my money and take myself to somewhere that treats people so awfully.

There are other holidays that I wouldn't spend money to go on but I wouldn't go to Dubai even if it was free.

Exactly! I spend my holidays in Italy and France mostly. I wander around cathedrals and museums.

That scant info will give people a (fairly accurate) impression of me.

This, and the slave labour that others have highlighted.

It also just doesn’t appeal to me/ not my idea of fun, but if it weren’t for the above I would obviously be more open minded about the idea.

Well, yes, any consumer decision, how you spend your money, says something about who we are. And yes, a certain type of person holidays in Dubai, just as a certain type of person holidays on the Costa Brava, or goes wild camping in the UK, or has a second home in Cornwall.

Because of their human rights issues and that it was built with slaves and many people die building their buildings

Nope after learning about what happened to the princess that ran away to the uk. The fact it's built on slaves and tourists arrested for showing a little flesh absolutely no. I can't get my head around how so many people don't care ctap about stuff like this also their stance on lgbt rights