What to buy in Dubai: let's get something straight
So what should you buy in Dubai? Well, at the top of your Dubai shopping list should be those fabulous things that you probably already associate with shopping the Middle East – carpets, perfume, gold, spices, and frankincense - but there are lots of other exotic goodies you should add to your list, such as Bedouin jewellery and a few kitsch Arabian souvenirs. To state the obvious first - as Dubai and the UAE get a lot of criticism for this - while these gorgeous things are made for the local market, most are not made in Dubai or the UAE. But have you looked at the tag on that toy koala you bought in Australia? It was probably made in China or South Korea. The same goes for that tiny Eiffel Tower you bought in Paris. But there are some authentic must-buys and they're at the top of my list... have you got a pen?
So what should you buy in Dubai? Well, at the top of your Dubai shopping list should be those fabulous things that you probably already associate with shopping the Middle East – carpets, perfume, gold, spices, and frankincense - but there are lots of other exotic goodies you should add to your list, such as Bedouin jewellery and a few kitsch Arabian souvenirs. To state the obvious first - as Dubai and the UAE get a lot of criticism for this - while these gorgeous things are made for the local market, most are not made in Dubai or the UAE. But have you looked at the tag on that toy koala you bought in Australia? It was probably made in China or South Korea. The same goes for that tiny Eiffel Tower you bought in Paris. But there are some authentic must-buys and they're at the top of my list... have you got a pen?