Dubai, the Mideast's desert party town, has just gotten even wetter.
The city-state is breaking new ground with its decision to loosen rules prohibiting day-time alcohol sales during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, a move that reflects how much Dubai's rulers value the revenue both tourists and alcohol tax bring into this emirate.
In years past, those wanting a beer or a glass of wine needed to wait until sundown, when Muslims break the daylong Ramzan fast with their first sips of water and their evening meal called iftar. Bars in this city of skyscrapers would also play quiet music and make sure to hide those imbibing behind closed doors and tinted glass during the holy month.
Just before this Ramzan, however, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing issued a seemingly benign notice to hotel managers across the emirate. Bars and nightclubs in Dubai are almost entirely limited to operating inside of or connected to hotels - even drink receipts at the Dubai International Airport show up as coming from a hotel attached to the airport.
That May 31 notice informed hotels that during the dates encompassing Ramzan, alcohol sales would be governed by normal rules, as opposed to limiting their hours.
Asked by the reporters about the rule change, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said that "ensuring a superlative visitor experience consistently is at the center of our destination proposition and remains in line with Dubai's significance as a world-class tourism destination."
The tourism department did appeal on tourists to respect Ramzan rules.
"With nearly 1 million tourists expected to visit and enjoy all aspects of our city over Ramadan, we expect all operators and travelers to be respectful of the Holy Month and be mindful of cultural sensitivities," the department said in a statement.
The city-state is breaking new ground with its decision to loosen rules prohibiting day-time alcohol sales during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, a move that reflects how much Dubai's rulers value the revenue both tourists and alcohol tax bring into this emirate.
In years past, those wanting a beer or a glass of wine needed to wait until sundown, when Muslims break the daylong Ramzan fast with their first sips of water and their evening meal called iftar. Bars in this city of skyscrapers would also play quiet music and make sure to hide those imbibing behind closed doors and tinted glass during the holy month.
Just before this Ramzan, however, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing issued a seemingly benign notice to hotel managers across the emirate. Bars and nightclubs in Dubai are almost entirely limited to operating inside of or connected to hotels - even drink receipts at the Dubai International Airport show up as coming from a hotel attached to the airport.
That May 31 notice informed hotels that during the dates encompassing Ramzan, alcohol sales would be governed by normal rules, as opposed to limiting their hours.
Asked by the reporters about the rule change, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said that "ensuring a superlative visitor experience consistently is at the center of our destination proposition and remains in line with Dubai's significance as a world-class tourism destination."
The tourism department did appeal on tourists to respect Ramzan rules.
"With nearly 1 million tourists expected to visit and enjoy all aspects of our city over Ramadan, we expect all operators and travelers to be respectful of the Holy Month and be mindful of cultural sensitivities," the department said in a statement.
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