The British government has issued a warning to visitors to the UAE to be aware of the local laws and customs before they visit.
The advice, part of the country's long-running Know Before You Go campaign, comes after a spate of high-profile cases of Britons falling foul of the UAE's conservative laws on behaviour, drugs and alcohol.
Around a million British tourists visit the Emirates each year, with up to a dozen British nationals arrested each month, often for failing to respect the country's customs, said a spokeswoman for the British embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Most are charged with alcohol-related offences, failure to repay debts or making obscene hand gestures. However, the embassy does not break down the figures according to whether the people arrested were expatriates or tourists.
The Foreign Office documents point out that topless sunbathing is strictly forbidden in Abu Dhabi and can be punished by imprisonment.
They also state that wearing skirts with a hem above the knee is considered "unacceptable behaviour" and could lead to fines and warnings.
Sue Elliott, from the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said the campaign aimed to encourage people to educate themselves ahead of foreign trips. "People are not used to how seriously these things are taken here," she said.
"What is a norm in lots of countries is just not acceptable here."
The drive aims to prevent repeats of cases such as that of Britons Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors, who were convicted last year of having sex on a beach in Dubai.
Acors, 34, who was visiting the UAE on business, was arrested with Palmer, 36, near the Burj al Arab hotel in the early hours of July 5.
They were sentenced to three months in jail but this was suspended on appeal and both were later deported. Hassan Matter, the Dubai lawyer who represented Acors and Palmer after their arrest, said visitors should be better educated about local laws and customs when travelling abroad, particularly to Muslim countries.
"Sometimes tourists get into trouble because they forget they are in a different country and act as if they were at home," he said.
"They must respect the local laws and customs otherwise they will be in danger of getting into trouble."
He said that he did not believe British tourists behaved worse than other foreign visitors. "There are many problems here with foreign people who are drinking alcohol. Sometimes they shout and cause trouble. Other times they drive cars while under the influence of alcohol.
"People who are caught driving while under the control of alcohol can be fined Dh20,000 [US$5,400] and spend a month in jail - sometimes more.
"Hand gestures are the next big problem. It is a very bad offence here. It is considered very serious and people can be given six months in jail and then deported.
"It is not a problem if people drink in moderation and only in places where they are allowed but if people drink too much alcohol and start shouting and making sexual [gestures] in the streets, they will be punished."
It is not just tourists who get into trouble over behaviour that would not be illegal in many Western countries.
Two British expatriates, Marnie Pearce and Sally Antia, were recently prosecuted for adultery after their husbands reported them to police.Pearce spent three months in jail and lost custody of her two children. Antia was sentenced to two months and was released earlier this week.The UAE's strict anti-drugs policy has also caused difficulties, most notoriously for the BBC Radio 1 DJ, Raymond Bingham, better known by his stage name, Grooverider.
He served 10 months of a four-year sentence after being caught at Dubai International Airport with 2.16g of cannabis, worth around £10 (Dh60), in his pocket.
Even trace quantities of narcotics in the bloodstream can lead to prosecution. This applies even to prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs that are controlled in the UAE.
Alexandra Tribe, a solicitor with Al Midfa and Associates in Dubai, said cases such as DJ Grooverider's appeared to have made tourists more aware of the UAE's hard-line approach. "I think the message about drugs in the UAE is getting through as a result of some of these high-profile cases," she said.
"It is the visitors' responsibility to find out what is and what is not allowed when travelling abroad."
Maire McCraken, 28, a legal secretary from Yorkshire staying in Jumeirah Beach Residence for a week, said she had not read any advice about the UAE: "I knew what this country was like from news stories and knew that it was a Muslim country. I am not that wild and know I am not in Spain where the locals party hard." She added that airlines should provide extra information about local laws and customs.
Martin Fahey, 32, from Leeds, was staying in the Royal Meridien for three days before travelling to Bangkok. "I always wanted to see Dubai," he said. "In any Muslim country, women should be dressed accordingly, but in the hotel, everybody is in swimsuits.
"I was a little surprised to see it but mainly everybody here is European. It's when you leave the hotel and go to one of the malls.
"There is a sign warning about proper dress on the doors of Mall of the Emirates. I still see women not only from Europe wearing short skirts and I know that is not right especially when I also see women in local dress."
Dubai is now famous for its zero-tolerance reputation and anybody who does act out of order is even more foolish, he added. "I think anybody who comes here and gets into trouble deserves it. There may be some things we can get away with at home, like holding hands, but I suppose we should know things like that are illegal here."
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
FIGHT%20CARD
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Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
