Travellers To Mind Their Behaviours On Holidays To Dubai
Thou shalt not kiss in public. After a recent incident, where a British couple was jailed for indulging in inappropriate behaviour; Dubais cultural police seems to have gone into an overdrive and has banned skimpy clothes and all forms of amorous behaviour like hugging, kissing or smooching in public.
The move appears surprising as Dubais demographic composition has changed significantly in the recent past with migrants & expats making Dubai, their second home. Such bans will only result in deepening the cultural divide that exists within the Dubai society. Tour operators feel that it is tough to draw a line between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in public. Such moves would prove to be counter-productive and significantly alter the way tourists perceive Dubai as a holiday destination.
Public consumption of alcohol is already banned in the Emirate and so is sexual activity out of wedlock. Many travellers have ridiculed such laws and believe if they are implemented it would make Dubai a state similar to what Afghanistan was during the Taliban era. Liberals in the Dubai society are up in arms against such edicts and say that the next move would be a Taliban style ban on all romantic scenes in movies and television which would further take the country back in time.
Sceptics however believe that Dubais moral police may have a point as western tourists who avail cheap holiday packages to visit Dubai often cross the line. Locals in Dubai have a genuine fear that the behaviour of foreign tourists might have a corrupting influence on the psyche of their children.
Naysayers opine that since most tourists visit private beach resorts, such laws would prove to be meaningless in the long run. Some journalists, however, believe that Dubais society is in a transitionary phase. From a conservative Islamic society governed by Sharia laws it is now making an ambitious bid to become an international metropolis. But Dubais conservative society hasnt kept up with scorching pace of growth witnessed in the commercial arena.
By issuing such inane guidelines, Dubai is only hurting its own cause. If Dubai intends to be a truly international city its society needs to adapt a more tolerant approach and foster a congenial environment that makes western tourists feel at home when they spend their holidays in Dubai. It needs to learn from other cosmopolitan cities like London, Paris or New York that have adapted themselves and emerged as a melting pot of cultures and nationalities.
With online travel agencies reporting a steep rise in the number of people searching for cheap holiday packages to Dubai, the government should pay serious attention to this aspect of the problem and make all efforts to foster a conducive environment for foreign tourists. But if such regressive behaviour on the part of Dubais cultural police continues unabated then Dubais tourism industry would go into a downward spiral from where it will find hard to extricate itself.
Only time will tell as to who will emerge victorious out of this controversy whether it is the liberals or the conservatives but if such controversies were not avert in future then the biggest loser will be the Emirate of Dubai.
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