Dubai’s Alcohol Gambit
Emiratis and foreigners arrive to eat at a restaurant in Dubai. Photographer: Karim Sahib/AFP
Dubai kicked off the new year by scrapping a 30% tax on alcohol sales and making liquor licenses free, in an apparent move to bolster its status as the Middle East’s leading business and tourism hub.
Faced with increasing competition from Persian Gulf neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Dubai has introduced a series of rules over the past few years to make itself more attractive for foreigners to live and work.