Dubai alcohol rules, possession of liquor as the sheikhdom

Dubai alcohol rules, possession of liquor as the sheikhdom.

Dubai has again loosened laws governing alcohol sales and possession of liquor as the sheikhdom tries to claw its way out of an economic depression worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The outbreak has exacerbated the already-gathering economic storm engulfing the emirate, which has seen mass layoffs thin the ranks of its foreign workforce and empty homes, despite slight signs of recovery. Experts warn the sheikhdom’s crucial property market is on track to match record lows seen in the 2009 Great Recession.

“It’s been a challenging year and there’s no hiding from that for any business — particularly those in the hospitality industry,” said Mike Glen, managing director for the United Arab Emirates and Oman for alcohol distributor Maritime and Mercantile International.

Alcohol sales have long served as a major barometer of the economy of Dubai, a top travel destination in the UAE, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates. Ice-cold bottles of beer tempt tourists on hotel beaches, while champagne-soaked brunches draw well-to-do crowds of expatriate residents.

The sales also serve as a major tax revenue source for Dubai’s Al Maktoum ruling family.

In Dubai, alcohol sales in general reflect the confidence of buyers in their own finances and, in turn, the economy. Pre-pandemic, those sales already showed the trouble Dubai faced amid falling global energy prices and a weakening property market. Dubai also postponed its Expo 2020 world’s fair to next year, another major blow.

Overall sales of alcohol by volume fell sharply in 2019 to 128.79 million litres, down 3.5% from 133.42 million litres the year before, according to statistics from Euromonitor. The 2019 sales are down nearly 9% from 2017, which saw 141.51 million litres sold.

Amid the lockdown, Dubai’s two major alcohol distributors began legal home deliveries of alcohol for the first time in hopes of boosting the sales, and now the city-state has changed the system granting permission to residents to legally purchase alcohol.

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