Would you go to Dubai?

[Londonscummymummy]

Would you go to Dubai?

My husband is interested in going and thanks it is unreasonable that I've always said I wouldn't go there. He thinks I should compromise since he would like to go.

The reason I don't want to go is mainly because of the treatment of women and gay people. (I'm also not fussed about the "shopping and money" type culture that a holiday there would be about). He says Dubai isn't going to care about my personal protest but I say I'm not "protesting" - I just wouldn't feel right or comfortable morally.

He argues there are plenty of countries in the world with attitudes / laws we don't agree with but we don't boycott them all. His example is gun ownership in the US. I argue that I may disagree with certain laws in some countries (ie death penalty, gun ownership), but that not many countries have such levels of state oppression enshrined in law, and none I would travel to.

I don't feel my position is that unusual but he thinks it is very unusual and inflexible. He knows a lot of friends / colleagues of his who've been.

Nope.

I have been several times. I hate it. It's all so fake. Go somewhere with history

Of all those the possible places to visit in this world, it would not be on my list

Oh God....NO...I did a 4 day stop over on way to Oman...visited a friend...awful place...full of vile chavvy women dripping in gold and chanel bags bragging about the H earnings....a few fat arabs with servants lugging all their luggage and shopping....soul less....i couldnt wait to get out and even tried to change my ticket...even the lovely ex pat travel agent agreed with me...she also hated the place but was sent there for job....Now...Oman is lovely...totally different and we had a lovely trip and would return anytime, lovely people and no high rise ugly fake malls etc. the quicker it goes back to sand....the better !!

I suspect ( & I do not know ) but it is a place where you can live and work and tax is less - so somewhere where you can earn more money. That is different from a holiday. It would not be be my cup of tea but each to their own .

Really? I'm also interested to know which part.

Absolutely not.

I'm sure the Spanish and Greeks think the same of a certain kind of tourist who has sex in bars, on the beach, and then throws up after a hard day/night drinking? 🤔

No , there are plenty of countries that can offer luxury holidays and have better human rights records. No country is perfect (including the UK), but there are so many things wrong with Dubai that it does not feel right to pick it above other destinations

I’ve been. We visited friends who have lived there for years. We had a nice beach holiday and it was interesting staying with residents. Would I go back? Probably not. Not for any moral reasons (I’ve travelled to all sorts of places with dodgy laws and attitudes towards women, homosexuals, slave Labour etc).
I just felt like I saw what there is to see in Dubai. It’s a very one dimensional place.

Totally agree with you.

No, it doesn’t appeal to me at all.

I notice a lot of people are praising how clean Dubai is. It's true if you mean litter and graffiti. But not if you mean pollution. Everyone drives, and the local climatic conditions trap the fumes and particulates. Add the natural dust pollution from the desert and evaporative particulates and the air quality is appalling.

And as a PP said, ask your husband how doing what he wants and you don't is a 'compromise '.

No. A family member lived there for a few years and we could have gone to visit but it didn't appeal for all the reasons already stated!