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My Return to Dubai: The Middle East’s City of Gold
I recently returned from a weeklong stay in Dubai in the Gulf region of the Middle East.
I had first visited Dubai in 2013. At that time, Dubai’s stunning skyline, world-class hotels and global aspirations blew me away. If anything, Dubai’s ambitions seem to have grown since.
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One of seven members of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has positioned itself as the gem of the Middle East — a peaceful pioneer of economic and social success that serves as a model for the rest of the Arab world. Once a small fishing village, Dubai obtained its independence from the British only in 1971.
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What it has accomplished since then is remarkable.
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Dubai punches far above its demographic weight. When I first visited four years ago, it had a population of 1.8 million. Today, Dubai’s population has hit 2.72 million, and will roughly double again by 2030. It is not a typical city. About 92% of Dubai’s residents are expatriates — mostly guest workers from Asia and a tight cadre of foreign professionals, enjoying the benefits of no personal income tax.
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I was overwhelmed because of its architecture and impressive organization.
I was embarrassed when I compared it to the threadbare and downtrodden airports that greet foreign visitors in New York and Washington, D.C.
Despite its tiny population, Dubai has an airport that welcomed a record 83.6 million passengers in 2016.
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