Americans and Europeans alike wonder about the safety of Middle East tourism. Safety tends to be the top priority when it comes to international travel and often times that opinion is formulated by the media. Due to some of the negative media attention in the Middle East, some westerners may completely rule out the possibility of traveling to the Middle East altogether.
Rather than taking into account that certain Middle Eastern countries like United Arab Emirates are indeed safe for westerners. In fact, the UAE has attracted western expat workers from Australia, Europe, & America. Knowing that as a tourist, you will come across many other westerners that even live and work in Dubai and the UAE as a whole should offer comfort to new travelers in the region.
Dubai Mall & the Burj Khalifa (Courtesy of Visit Dubai Tourism)
In addition, to encountering numerous westerners, you can also feel safe knowing that the UAE police force has a very strong presence. Everywhere I visited within Dubai, I saw some form of security present inclusive of malls and metro stations. Besides, the well known security presence throughout Dubai, the laws are extremely strict in United Arab Emirates. The high standard of laws in the UAE also deters criminality and therefore increases safety within the country. Between there zero tolerance for drugs and guard on drinking alcohol only in licensed venues (ie. Hotels), it’s clear that the UAE has matters under control.
Another welcoming fact about the United Arab Emirates is that they embrace western religions. Even though, the UAE is a Muslim country, they are well aware of their western expat population. The local Emirates ahs also donated land to build churches and now the majority of church congregations can be found primarily in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are the two main expat cites of the UAE.
All in all, the answer is yes, Dubai is safe for westerners inclusive of Americans, of course. The United Arab Emirates certainly is more than open to western tourists and expats alike. Therefore, it’s important for westerners to also be aware of the local laws also, which will be discussed in a future post. Stay tuned!
