Sustainability Challenges in Dubai Tourism

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Tourism Impacts
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Dubai is a modern city with mega malls, the tallest buildings, and artificial islands. The scenic site has perfect beach weather between November and January; a scorching experience is expected during summer (Heyes and Nadkarni, 2020). The incredible destination is the world’s leading tourism center; therefore, tourism is the primary source of revenue. The main attraction sites include; Dubai’s old culture and economic development (Anthonisz and Mason, 2019). Based on culture, Dubai can be split into two halves – Bur Dubai and Deira. In Bur Dubai, there are building linings that largely preserve the echoes of the old city. Historical Dubai is represented by the Heritage Village, with some old preserved buildings, whereas the Diving Village provides a pearl diving site and fishing points (Farooq, Seraphim, and Medhekar, 2021). Numerous tourists visit the city, and the statistics are provided in Figure 1 (GMI Blogger, 2022).

Location on Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) Model

Tourism area life cycle (TALC) provides a conceptual basis through which a destination analysis can be done to show that they solely follow a relatively consistent development process as well as a cycle that can be recognized (George, 2021). In addition, the model assumes that a threshold is achieved either sooner or later. Such a tourist attraction site is perceived to have depreciated in desirability. Furthermore, the model suggests that the gradual development of a destination brings about a change in physical and socio-cultural environments that impact the host community’s attitudes (Gore et al., 2022). TALC has various stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, decline, and rejuvenation (An and Jang, 2020). The TALC model can be instrumental in determining and indicating the state of Dubai’s long-term sustainability, and it is shown in Figure 2 (Sharma, Stranjančević, and Kleber, 2019).

Figure 2: TALC model for tourism in Dubai

Based on TALC analysis, Dubai is currently in the consolidation stage. In the consolidation phase, tourism constitutes most of the local economy (Singh, 2021). Regardless of how the rate of tourists has declined, the statistics show a favorable rate, such that the number of tourists exceeds the number of permanent residents. One common characteristic of the consolidation phase is the deterioration of the quality of life and the negative impact felt by the residents due to tourism; Dubai is not an exception (Kiliç and Seçilmiş, 2022). There are various negative impacts developed due to tourism activities, and they constitute environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impacts. In the consolidation stage, the negative attitudes among the residents are more substantial than in the other stages (Scarpi, Confente, and Russo, 2022). Commonly, the negative attitudes range from annoyance to resentment and then antagonism. The negative impacts in Dubai are not favorable and safe for the residents and visitors.

Marketing and advertisements tend to be stimuli to visitors from other continents, and the negative impacts imposed on previous visitations do not matter (George, 2021). About Dubai, among visitor management methods, one can consider not only the analysis of annual tourism indicators but also the perception among the local population. In some instances, the number of tourists and provisions may cause opposition and discontentment from the permanent residents who are not concerned with the tourist industry (Heye and Nadkarni, 2020). According to Sharma, Stranjančević, and Kleber (2019), there are chances of a rejuvenation occurrence. This is due to the results and contributions of tourism that may have a long-lasting negative impact on socio-cultural and environmental conditions within Dubai (Khudhair and Mardani, 2021). A large tourist flow eradicates the city’s unique features, which is losing its identity under the influence of Western trends, and over time, the decline of a peculiar image has become a consequence of this. However, there is a high growth rate in the economic status of Dubai, and seamlessly, it will contain itself and maintain its paramount tourist attraction reputation in the Middle East.

Current Sustainability Position of the Destination

Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) mainly focuses on contributing to the broader clean energy and aiming at sustainable development. DST embeds sustainability principles into all tourism-related aspects. In addition, the organ combines all the economic stakeholders, especially those involved in the tourism industry. The efforts of developing DST are a holistic approach with a common goal of achieving the long-term sustainability of the economy. Analogously, the initiative’s strategic plan has four main targets: energy efficiency, environmental conservation and protection, education and awareness, and finally, engaging all sectors, both the tourist-related industries and those that are not (Heyes and Nadkarni, 2020). The sustainability targets listed are suitable and universal as they embody socio-cultural development, environmental conservation, and economic development, through which tourism in Dubai will be impactful by mitigating climate change and promoting sustainability.

Tourism Impacts

Tourism has imposed various impacts on Dubai, which are caused by different factors. For instance, the behaviors of the visitors and their use of facilities have resulted in many impacts, especially environmental pollution. The increased number of tourists per year has increased the use of fuels leading to air, land, and sea pollution due to the means of transport used (Panagopoulos and Haralambous, 2020). The severity of these causes is that they lead to airborne diseases, and poisonous gas of chlorofluorocarbons may lead to ozone layer deformation hence global warming.

Economic

Economic sustainability may be defined as the practices developed to support long-term economic growth by conserving natural and financial resources for economic stability without negatively affecting the community environmentally, socially, or culturally. Economic sustainability mainly involves balancing economic growth and profit generation with environmental impacts and people (Khudhair and Mardani, 2021). Due to its importance, economic sustainability is also integrated into the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which tend to provide a manual for creating stable growth and sustainability for governments and countries worldwide.

The tourism industry has been designated as a growth sector for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to its capabilities in economic diversification. For instance, in 2015, the tourism industry contributed approximately US$36.43 billion to the country’s total GDP, which is about 8.7% of the total GDP (Saleh, Bassil, and Safari, 2022, p. 1629). Based on the data provided by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2016, there was a 4.4% growth rate, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government received approximately US$64 from the tourism industry (Ozdemir, Ar, and Erol, 2020, p. 1552). It is expected that the figure will have doubled by 2026 (Ozdemir, Ar, and Erol, 2020).

The growth of the tourist industry generates many job opportunities for international and local citizens. The key beneficiaries of these opportunities are the hotels, airlines, and other transportation sectors. According to WTTC, in 2015, the industry supported approximately 300 000 jobs (up to 5.7% of total employment in the country), and in 2016, the job opportunities rose by 3.8% (Ozdemir, Ar, and Erol, 2020, p. 1553). It is projected that by 2026, there will be 500,000 job opportunities (Ozdemir, Ar, and Erol, 2020). In 2015, 557,000 job opportunities were generated from the tourism industry, which accounts for 9.6% of the total UAE workforce (Katranis, 2021, p. 28). The total workforce in 2016 rose by 3.8%, 578,000 jobs, and it is projected that in 2026, the number will have risen to 12.4% of the total, which approximates 800,000 jobs (Saleh, Bassil, and Safari, 2022, p. 1631).

According to the Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC), the number of visitors has been rising at an average of 8.7% per annum (Chapter 4, 2018, p. 58). This means that the authorities of Dubai need to be proactive in evaluating ways to expand tourism opportunities, which comes at a financial cost. Furthermore, according to WTTC, there is an indication that by 2026, the growth trajectory will have shot up further, thus making the industry more impactful to the growth of the UAE (Safari et al., 2022, p. 1630). Recent reports say that new developments and mega projects are underway, which translates to growth forecasts and predictions of the sector being conservative (Chapter 4, 2018). When the projects that are underway are completed, the number of tourists visiting Dubai will increase. This outcome will have a positive impact on the city’s budget, but on the other hand, the work to strengthen the tourism infrastructure is associated with expenses, including for locals. Taxes and the costs of living may rise, but more jobs are a welcome outcome.

Socio-Cultural

Social responsibility is a process through which sustainable and prosperous platforms are created to promote individuals’ well-being by understanding their needs from their workplaces and homes. The occurrence of social sustainability is said to exist when both formal and informal processes, distinct structures, systems, and relationships support the survival of individuals in the current and future generations (Schönborn et al., 2019). Cultural sustainability revolves around maintaining cultural beliefs, practices, and heritage conservations, namely objects of culture, religious beliefs, communication aspects, and some other factors. The importance of cultural sustainability can be viewed within the limits of influential power and beliefs that heavily measure societal decisions.

Social ramifications from economic expansion through increased tourism activities are conspicuous. Economic modernization and financial improvements in Dubai have led to an acceleration in population. On the other hand, tourism leading to developmental prosperity has brought significant social and cultural impacts (Szromek, Kruczek, and Walas, 2019). Some impacts include housing, urbanization, cultural and heritage erosion, and employment—furthermore, the negative impacts resulting from conflicts between the permanent residents and the tourists. However, the impacts are mainly brought up by the tourists, which causes resentment to the host communities. Increased crime, such as robbery, theft, street prostitution, drug abuse, and illegal gambling, are among the negative social impacts resulting from criminal gangs whose primary intention is moving into the region to exploit tourists.

The features of migrant housing patterns in the Gulf regions reveal the social ramifications of the increased population due to urbanization and economic liberalization (Maxim, 2020). Among the characteristics include temporary construction workers residing in camps at the periphery of the city, single rooms that several people share are shared by either the unskilled migrants or the semi-skilled ones, these rooms owned by indigenous individuals, increase in suburb villas and residential buildings, older houses serving as homes for the lower middle-class individuals and secure and well-built houses for the expatriate communities.

There is a rise of social distinctions that results in ethnicity and discrimination of the poor by the expatriate communities who are well-off. In addition, by a more significant factor, tourism cemented ethnicity in terms of Western and non-Western communities (Alipour and Galal Ahmed, 2021). Neo-colonialism has taken the mantle in various places in Dubai, such as recreational facilities and sports, where they represent civic characteristics (Zaidan, 2019). Analogously, the social stratification system between the permanent residents and the tourists is not cohesive, resulting in skewed perceptions of the visitors, and hatred may quickly come through this state.

Culturally, Dubai is an Islamic zone, just like other Middle East cities; tourism has impacted this through the rise of modernization and urbanization. Historical cities and local heritage have faced constant threats from developing nations. However, some proactive initiatives are underway to revive the culture, especially in the aesthetically conducive parts that can further attract tourists. These efforts, however, are being challenged by the need for more local life and social continuity, which tend to create a disconnection from Emirati cultural life. In an attempt to restore some parts of Dubai, approximately 2500 historical buildings have been destroyed, with only 300 out of the total surviving (Ricca, 2018).

Environmental

Environmental sustainability is defined as the proactive process of preserving natural resources and conserving ecosystems to promote health and support human health in the present and future. Environmental regulations are essential to sustainability; tangible standards for quality water and air should be set to achieve long-lasting environmental sustainability (Elgaali, Ziadat, and Alzyoud, 2019). Threats to environmental wellness are all over, and almost every industry is a suspect of environmental misconduct. Multinational companies have shown efforts to limit emissions and effluents that threaten the environment effectively. Nevertheless, these codes of conduct associated with care for the environment and respect for the locality mainly concern countries with strict regulations, whereas, in those with lenient guidelines, emissions are not controlled.

Rapid economic development in Dubai has contributed to severe environmental challenges due to the population increase. The rise in population is directly proportional to the increased demand for air, energy, and water. In addition, a high population leads to a fast-paced urban development that induces high levels of effluent gas emissions (Elgaali, Ziadat, and Alzyoud, 2019). Dubai’s high ecological footprint means that sustainability within that region needs to be balanced by using natural resources such as air and water per capita.

Tourism in Dubai has caused land degradation and desertification through manufactured factors such as an increased population. Increased human activities decrease soil quality and degrade land utility through consumption systems. On the other hand, desertification is promoted by drought and the over-exploitation of scarce natural resources (Elgaali, Ziadat, and Alzyoud, 2019). As seen earlier, tourism leads to the development of urban encroachment that directly exerts pressure on natural resources and contributes to soil deterioration. Dubai is in desert-like land, and excessive manipulation by human activities leads to the drought that threatens the lives of millions; sustainable development is highly affected, as there are increased instances of poverty, poor health, food insecurity, decrease in biodiversity, and scarcity of water among other catastrophic issues.

Current Management Plans and Which Impacts They Alleviate

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, also called DTCM, promotes projects to increase the carrying capacity of tourists by initiating various strategies, for instance, to prevent congestion, new hotels and attraction sites are being developed. The construction of new sites will reduce overpopulation in certain areas, even though many consequences will be experienced. Operational, tactical, and strategic plans are underway for tourist management, for instance, to curb insecurity due to the rising number of threats from those individuals doing crime (Anthonisz and Mason, 2019). Residents have had skewed perceptions and attitudes towards tourists for their misconduct. As a result, DTCM has defined rules and regulations by which tourists should conduct themselves (Anthonisz and Mason, 2019). By so doing, social evils such as prostitution of thefts will decrease.

Dubai has pledged to be proactive in reaching a net zero carbon emission shortly. Specifically, its authorities have announced that by 2050, carbon emissions will have ended (Anthonisz and Mason, 2019). An investment of approximately $163 billion has been put in place to develop clean and renewable energy, among other zero-carbon emission technologies (Anthonisz and Mason, 2019). Significant progress in urban infrastructure is aimed at diversification and change from a hydrocarbon-focused economy to a green-energy-based economy (Panagopoulos and Haralambous, 2020). To curb Dubai’s per capita water consumption, bearing in mind that there is water scarcity, there are plans underway to utilize desalinated seawater to meet the high water demand.

Role of Stakeholders in Tourism Development and Management

Sustainable tourism is dependent on all stakeholder’s efforts and discipline involvement. Stakeholders in the tourism industry include all individuals and groups that are either influenced or influence the achievement of the tourism sector. They are tourists, entrepreneurs providing goods and services, and the government (Yas et al., 2020). The government is the host and is entitled to develop regulations to protect its visitors and outline key codes of conduct and rules that need to be adhered to by both permanent communities and entrepreneurs.

Further Management Strategies

Cleantech and environmental technologies need further research, and management strategies are required. Despite a gratifying and promising future with an integrated form of energy, significant losses may be a potential outcome, especially in the case of mismanagement. Waste-to-energy projects underway need ultimate managerial strategies considering this new technology is on trial. Waste-to-energy power plants are aimed at reducing landfills due to waste generation and decreasing carbon (IV) oxide emissions. One waste-to-energy power plant is expected to process approximately 950,000 metric tons of landfills, a power that is sufficient for more than 30,000 homes (Yas et al., 2020).

Conclusion

Tourism in Dubai is an excellent asset for economic growth and expansion, positioning the city among the most developed cities in the world. Urbanization due to an increased population has been experienced and is expected to rise according to the 2026 projects. However, tourism has some negative socio-cultural and environmental factors that lead to suffering for tourists and permanent residents. High population growth, increased crimes, prostitution, robbery, and theft are potential negative socio-cultural impacts. Culturally, tourism has led to the erosion of Emirati culture, an essential aspect of their heritage. Analogously, the negative environmental impacts of tourism in Dubai have led to human life being endangered by all forms of pollution, from water to air pollution. Currently, mitigation measures that are being developed and others that are already operational are timely and perfect, and they are expected to improve the environmental risks and pollution. However, security challenges remain, which may reduce the flow of loyal tourists. Dubai authorities need to develop adequate methods to safeguard visitors and guarantee the protection of foreigners, including from a legislative perspective.

Reference List

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