A Futurist in Dubai: Luxury, Dubai-Style
Friday proved to be my first true introduction to luxury, Dubai-style.
For most of the morning, I explored two of Dubai’s largest upper-income malls: Burjuman and Wafi.
The Wafi is a celebration of everything that is over the top about Dubai. Arab fashion boutiques offering hand-stitched, made-to-order haute couture sit beside interior decorating stores (with all products made in limited editions, solely for individual outlets) and luxury European clothing and fashion shops, filling the mall with hundreds of high-end retailers, all within the context of an elaborate ancient Egyptian theme, replete with faux-Egyptian décor and a pyramid-shaped restaurant and spa (named, you guessed it, The Pyramids). The Burjaman mall was likewise crammed with one luxury product after another, from $1,000 sunglasses to $20,000 pearl necklaces.
After a morning surveying the luxury malls, I returned to the Mall of the Emirates to experience Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East. Ski Dubai boasts almost 250,000 square feet of terrain….however, out on the slopes, the place felt rather…tiny. With a capacity of only 1,500 people and a maximum run of around 400 meters, Ski Dubai is primarily a novelty attraction, aimed at beginners and tourists. When I visited, I was surprised by several things—not the least of which was the relative lack of crowds on the slopes (not to mention the Western pop music blaring in the background). I was also surprised by its affordability—at around $35 dollars for 2 hours of slope time, clothing, and equipment, it falls solidly within the budget of middle-income travelers. The mix of cultures was likewise not what I expected: though I did encounter one gaggle of Arab kids learning to ski, by and large the slopes were filled with European and Asian tourists. While interesting (and fun), it was not the luxury experience that I anticipated coming in.
Matt Sollenberger
in Futures Expeditions, Consumerism, Middle East
Post a Comment
Share this: digg
| reddit
| del.icio.us
| ma.gnolia
| newsvine
| stumbleupon
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments