DubaiShire – Is Dubai becoming a British county?

London Heathrow now serves Dubai 12x a day of which Emirates Airlines ferries passengers and British expats on 5 of their Airbus A380 Super Jumbo’s. That’s almost as many flights as between Heathrow and Edinburgh. On board an Emirates flight, one quickly feels at home despite Arabic writing and air hostesses (wearing a discreet veil to welcome passengers). The announcements are made in a pre-recorded Oxford British accent. The in-flight shopping Magazine is called “The Emirates High Street” and the 900+ channels of in-flight entertainment are clearly programmed by Brits for an international audience but include many channels devoted to British culture, soap operas, sports and even feature your favourite British cooking chefs. 

The British influence in Dubai dates back to the 1820’s when the British created the Trucial States between the neighbouring Sheikhdom’s as a Maritime treaty to bring peace and increase trade (and serve the Brits interest in the region until the UAE gained independence in 1971). The British expat population in those days was tiny compared to over 100,000 British expats who live in Dubai today. This makes Dubai roughly the same size, as Cheltenham but the true number of Brits living in Dubai is probably closer to that of Cambridge as most expats are not registered with the British Embassy.

Britishness is everywhere in Dubai! A one hour drive around town makes this apparent. First tune in to the radio where there are several radio stations run by and aimed at the British expaits including  92FM with a popular morning breakfast show hosted by two northeners: “Catboy and Geordiebird”. This chat show makes Brits feel at home with celebrity gossip, songs and other news from the rainy island.

You will probably drive past countless British schools which curriculums adhered to GCSE’s and A-Levels so your children can easily fit back in to the UK education system. On the weekends parents take their children to: rugby, cricket, golf and polo grounds which have formal clubs where you are more likely to meet a couple from Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire than a UAE citizen.

 Hotels although mostly Arabian in appearance and décor, are often managed by Brits and cater to British Expats and tourists alike. They serve Saturday roasts (Sunday being the start of the week) served with Yorkshire pudding and Worcestershire sauce. Most big hotels have their own British pubs where you can watch the latest Darts competition on Satellite TV whilst sipping on a Brown Ale and starring at British memorabilia hung up on the wall. You could almost be in Lancashire!

A stop by one of the giant malls such as the Mall of Emirates will also reveal that many of the stores including the flagship store Harvey Nichols were imported straight from a UK High Street.

Even this Christmas period, a quintessentially British tradition: the Pantomine is on show in a theatre complete with Benny Hill and other British type gags and farces.  This last example shows that the Brits are here to stay in Dubai and no longer view Dubai as a 2-3 year international experience to boost their careers or make a bit of extra money. The population of Dubai is made up of 90% of expatriates (see this article for further info) many of whom view Dubai as a short-term move . But the Brits are increasingly joining the Indians, Pakistanis and Iranians who try and stay in Dubai and renew their residency visas for as long as they can do so as it is still impossible to have permanent residency or gain citizenship.

Alas, there are also some negative aspects imported by the Brits which include binge drinking and people being arrested in compromising situations. Some Brits also feel that they are superior to other nationalities/expats behave with a British Colonialist attitude. 

Dubai has been growing rapidly since the mid-1990’s and despite the Emirate nearly going bankrupt in 2009, it has rebounded in part thanks to the trouble elsewhere in the region caused by the Arab Spring. The demand for specialised skills and talent from Construction, Engineering to Banking has attracted many Brits. They have been welcomed by open arms by the UAE which maintains a good relationship with the UK since the Trucial State times.

Good times lie ahead for DubaiShire and if you are a Brit it will feel increasingly feel like a home from home.