A night on Palm Jumeirah, long one of Dubai’s priciest addresses, is now going for as little as 349 dirhams ($95), and a second night could be free, reflecting the struggles facing the city’s tourism sector.
The island’s resorts are courting residents this summer — the Gulf’s emptiest season even in peacetime — with up to 500 dirhams a day of dining credit, and rates that would have been unthinkable before the war, when many rooms cost thousands of dollars a night. The discounts began as triage in the spring, when occupancy levels sank to 16% and local residents (rather than tourists) became the focus. The deals seemingly worked, even if skeleton crews at times strained to serve the crowds they drew.
The government has jumped in, too, offering residents 3,000 dirhams in perks for inviting friends and family to visit and suspending hotel taxes.