What draws Indians to Dubai?

They say if you need to make big bucks and drive luxury cars bought tax free and driven on petrol cheaper than water, just fly to Dubai. With no taxes to pay, at least on paper, UAE attracts overseas residents from across the world.
While 88% of UAE population is expats, Indians are the highest in number. They form more than 30% of the total UAE population, no wonder most of them feel like home away from home.After USA and Saudi Arabia, UAE is the 3rd highest preferred destination by Indians for working overseas. The biggest advantage UAE offers is an open society which accepts not just Indians but all the other global nationalities with open arms. Another thing which it enjoys is its air connectivity with India and a flying time of just 3-5 hours depending on which city in India you are flying to. Sunil Ahuja, who is a businessman staying in Dubai for last 13 years says, “I can go to meet my parents in Delhi whenever I feel like by booking the next flight. I complete my work and take the evening or the night flight and I am there in slightly more than 3 hours”. With varied Indian cuisines available in abundance, Sunil never seems to missDillikiChaat or Mumbai kaVadapao.
While UAE is undoubtedly the most preferred destination for Indians, the thought that we all have to go back to India one day keeps oscillating our minds. Despite this concern, NRIs continue to like Dubai and new generation is more than willing to grab a job opportunity in UAE. Especially women feel liberated and like the secured environment Dubai offers. We can travel late nights in taxis and metro, we can walk alone on the streets at any time of the day without the worry of anyone troubling us. After Gurgaon, AsthaSood who is a merchandiser with a leading UAE group feels much more secured in Dubai and enjoys its clean environment. While UAE is not at all green because of being a desert but the effort which goes into making it as scenic as possible is quite commendable, she says. It’s not even been an year and she is already planning her first luxury car which she could have never been able to afford in Delhi.
Another factor which everyone sights as one of the biggest reasons for choosing Dubai is a hassle free convenient life. Right from setting up their company to leasing a house, all the activities are time bound and process driven. While it might be expensive but businessmen are ready to put in that extra bit to save time and set up their business in a cleaner environment well connected with the global business centers.
Asim Shrivastava who is an international banker with Mashreq Bank summarises convenience in a perfect way. He says “It is not just Indians. People from both developed and developing world are flocking here because of the spanking new and world class infrastructure, very low crime rate and great quality of life. A large number of Indian (and other nationalities from high tax regimes) businessmen are setting up trading outfits in DMCC to park profits here which would be taxable in their countries. While the quality of college education is debatable, quality schools have come up in the last decade or so. Not having to give even a second thought to whether you locked your house before leaving or whether you left the car windows down adds to the quality of life. Ability to watch world class events and performers such as One Direction, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and many others at one-fifth the cost in a developed country is another positive. In how many cities in India will you be able to watch Sonu Nigam within a 10 minute drive with no hassles of parking 2 km away, rigorous security checks, jostling to get in despite having a valid ticket?”
While the new generation holds a picture of luxury embellished with gold about Dubai and UAE, Sadanand Tungare who is a system integrator in the IT industry has a very different view. He Says, “Most of the NRI moving to gulf, don't move because of fast cars or big bucks but are economic migrants. Most of the stories of Indian Billionaires in gulf have started their life as ordinary guys but Gulf provided them this opportunity to make it big. Nobody comes to Gulf with a decision to stay for twenty years of their life or make it their second home. However, most of us get used to living in the gulf for a home away from home. We gulfies are a community which lives on a dream that one day I return to live a charmed life in India. We can get out of India but can't take India out of us!!”