Today, vacationers are joined by those who wish to live in a modern metropolis, which has all the advantages of a luxury seaside resort. Several tens of thousands of our compatriots - immigrants from Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union already live in Dubai. We tried to find out from them why they chose Dubai.
Elena, housewife (Russia). Lives: Al Fattan Tower, Dubai Marina
The sun. A lot of sun. As I recall the dank Moscow autumn, when the sky is constantly obscured by clouds, this eternal dirt and urban dullness even distort. And here there is plenty of heat and sun in both summer and winter. In the summer, of course, it’s hot, so usually the children and I spend summer vacations in Europe or in our country house in the suburbs. But then, the rest of the time the weather in the Emirates is very pleasant. Especially in autumn and spring, when it is most comfortable.
! In Dubai, more than 345 days a year are sunny. In summer, the average air temperature is + 35-40 ° C, in winter + 20-23 in the afternoon and about + 15 ° C at night. Rains are rare, mainly from November to March. The amount of precipitation is about 120 mm per year.
Yuri, businessman (Russia). Lives: complex Jumeirah Beach Residence
Sea. I myself am from Tyumen, there is no sea there, of course, but I always want to go to him. At first I went to Dubai with my family as a tourist, and then I decided to buy real estate and settle here. For almost two years now, a wife with children and mother-in-law have been living permanently in Dubai. I am very pleased that my family is here: the sun and the sea all year round, which is very good for health, in addition, I consider the educational process for children much more effective, and even calmer in the Emirates, given our Russian realities. I try to visit my family at least once a month. Soon, at home, it will be possible to start gathering "for retirement", and I will also move to Dubai for good, since there are some hints about what you can do here.
! The sea temperature on the beaches of Dubai practically does not fall below + 25 ° С. The only exception is the winter months, when the water temperature can drop to + 20 ° C. Strong storms in the Persian Gulf are extremely rare. Most of the year the sea is calm, the height of the waves off the coast does not exceed 0.5 m.
Samvel, employee of the company (Armenia). Lives: Dubai Marina area
Tolerance. Dubai is modern Babylon. A multinational metropolis in which people of different nationalities, cultures and faiths live hand in hand. The local population in Dubai is less than 10%, and most of the country's residents are expatriates like us. This factor allows me to feel more comfortable here than in other countries of the world. To put it bluntly, here I don’t feel like a "second-class" person. And the fact that the Emirates is a Muslim country, with its specific laws and orders, does not particularly affect my lifestyle, especially since Dubai is the most loyal of the seven emirates to foreign visitors.
! The United Arab Emirates is recognized as the best Arab country to live in, also ranked among the 50 best countries in the world, according to the independent expert council of the Legatum Institute from London. In a study of 104 countries, which together account for about 90% of the world's population, Legatum Institute experts evaluated each country for several indicators, including economic, social, security, civil liberty, public life, and attitudes towards immigrants. Emirates received the highest scores in terms of safety, ahead of the United States, Britain, Germany and France, as well as in terms of tolerance to immigrants.
Talgat, businessman (Kazakhstan). Lives: Jumeirah Islands District
Geographical position. Very beneficial for doing business. Dubai is located at the intersection of trade routes between Europe, Africa and Asia, which determines its development as the largest center of trade in the Middle East. For this, there is almost everything: one of the largest seaports with modern infrastructure, an existing Dubai airport and a new one under construction, which should become the largest in the world. Within 4-5 hours of flight from Dubai, almost a third of the world's population lives. So, I believe that Dubai is and will be a strategic place for international trade, and no crisis will take this advantage from it.
! According to the latest data from the Airport Council International, Dubai International Airport ranks fifth in the world in terms of international passenger traffic and fourth in the world in terms of freight traffic. At the end of the year, Dubai International Airport is the only one in the ten largest airports in the world that registered passenger traffic growth in 2009. According to the results of the year, growth is expected to be 8.3%. Today, Dubai International Airport serves 125 airlines flying to 210 destinations on six continents, and provides about 30% of all passenger flights in the Middle East and North African regions.
Daria, housewife (Russia). Lives: sleeping area The Greens
Security. To be honest, I have a poor experience living abroad - before moving to the Emirates, I lived for some time in Canada a few years ago. I spent most of my life in Russia. However, only here, having acquired this feeling of security, I realized how much effort and energy had previously gone into my control of seemingly ordinary things: was the car closed, was the apartment set to an alarm, was my bag and children were safe ...
! Recently published the results of a study on quality of life Worldwide Quality of Living Survey 2009, conducted annually by the British company Mercer Human Resource Consulting. New York is traditionally taken as the base city for rating building. In terms of quality of life and, as a result, attractiveness for expatriates, Dubai is ranked 77th among 215 largest cities in the world (New York - 49th), and in terms of infrastructure development - 35th place (New York - 32- e). The experts compiled a rating based on an analysis of 39 criteria for each city, including the political, economic and environmental situation, personal safety factors, level of education, transportation services and consumer services.
Alexander, entrepreneur (Russia). Lives: project Shoreline Apartments, Palm Jumeirah Island
Taxes. More precisely, their absence. Ease of doing business. Since there are no income taxes in the UAE, there is no need for double (tax and accounting) accounting. Businessmen do not have to spend a lot of money and effort on tax optimization, preparing reports to the tax inspectorate and various funds, but you can focus directly on the business itself. Dubai has a very simple and efficient system of customs duties. Most goods are subject to a single rate of customs duty of 5%, and when it comes to re-export, then there are no customs duties at all.
! According to a recent report prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the world's largest international network of firms offering professional consulting and audit services PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the International Finance Corporation (International Finance Corporation), the tax system in the United Arab Emirates is one of the most attractive for business and ranks fourth in the world.
The Paying Taxes 2010 - The Global Picture report also notes that the United Arab Emirates is among the top ten countries with the best economies, featuring the lowest total tax rate (TTR) and one of the simplest business requirements that helps the country , as before, to attract foreign direct investment, in spite of the global crisis.
Anatoly, entrepreneur (Russia). Lives: man-made island Palm Jumeirah
Stability. This is not even about political or economic stability, although this is also important. Just living here and doing business in the Emirates, you can build long-term plans, be the master of the situation and not be afraid of surprises, such as “hitting” from the inspection authorities, local authorities, the police, and you never know. After all, in Russia it’s like: any more or less successful business inevitably becomes dependent on various power structures, and therefore businessmen are forced to “negotiate”, “seek approaches” - in general, you understand me. And the next day the official is changing, or some kind of normative act, or the policy of the authorities, and everything has to be started all over again. And pegging the currency of the Emirates - the dirham to the dollar allows you to largely avoid currency risks. You don’t have to go far for examples - take at least last year’s autumn-winter rise in the dollar against the ruble and its subsequent fall.
! The currency of the United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) has been officially pegged to the US Dollar (USD) since 1983. Since then, the official rate of the emirate dirham against the dollar has not changed and amounts to about 3.67 dirhams per one US dollar.
Sergey, investor (Russia). Lives: man-made island Palm Jumeirah
Real estate market. The first property in Dubai I bought back in 2003. At that time, all my friends looked at me as an idiot. From all sides I just heard: "Where are you going? This is the Middle East, a Muslim country! Do you really lack real estate in Moscow?" They advised to invest in Spain, Bulgaria - anywhere, but not here. And a few years later they came and bought from me on the floors. Of course, the crisis did not pass over anyone, but, again, many very interesting opportunities opened up. You could even say that the “second wind” has opened at the Dubai property market. So, I have already made my choice a long time ago, and I believe that the potential here for an investor with a head and money is far from exhausted.
! According to a report by the 2010 Real Estate Global Opportunity Index released in December by AT Kearney, the United Arab Emirates ranks 18th in the global ranking table for development potential among real estate markets in developing countries. "Low real estate prices can help renew interest from foreign investors interested in the region. Oil reserves ... provide the country with sufficient financial resources."
