Imagine a place with high temperatures, high-end lifestyles and even higher skyscrapers. Oh, and there’s no income tax. Ever since oil was discovered off its coast in the Sixties, catalysing a rapid expansion, Dubai has acquired a reputation as the ultimate playground for the super-rich. Now the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, it has become a spot where millionaires come to live out the fantasy of a rarefied (and perfectly air-conditioned) existence by the beach, in the shadow of some of the world’s tallest buildings.
But it’s no longer just the 0.01 per cent who are falling for the allure of the “sandpit”, as the city has been nicknamed. Over the past few years, Dubai has become increasingly tempting for ordinary Brits, swayed by the promise of a glossy lifestyle with way more disposable income. It’s estimated that there are around 240,000 British expats currently based in Dubai, a number that’s surely only going to tick upwards.
