The Dubai experience

Offering a lifestyle that is considered one of the best in the world, many expatriates who come to live in Dubai usually end up staying far longer than they intended, says a survey. Gulf News takes a look at how this phenomenon works.

Life is fun here, and many who come end up staying far longer than they intended. Gulf News takes a look at how this phenomenon works

The Dubai lifestyle has proven to be appealing enough to attract more expats over the years, with 64 per cent staying significantly longer than they had originally intended, showed a recent study.

In a survey conducted by DIFC Wills & Probate Registry (WPR), it was found that the majority of respondents end up living in Dubai at least three years longer than planned. What’s more, one in 10 people have stayed over 20 years longer than they expected.

“The phrase ‘time flies when you are having fun’ is particularly true for residents in Dubai.

The lifestyle in Dubai is considered one of the best in the world — with the sun shining throughout the year, high disposable income and a raft of new attractions, malls, activities and leisure destinations coming up all the time,” said Sean Hird, director, DIFC Wills & Probate Registry.

In the last few years, the city has grown exponentially — both by attracting new residents and in its infrastructure and ‘things to do’. “With this comes a level of energy and excitement that helps contribute to that fastpaced lifestyle,” added Hird.

The WPR consumer poll, Hird explained, showed that many people move to Dubai for work reasons and end up staying much longer as they grow used to the lifestyle.

Interesting aspect

However, there is an interesting aspect that comes into play here — those who stay longer continue to have a “transient mindset”. What this means is while more than 70 per cent of respondents agreed that their life is here in Dubai, nearly 60 per cent of respondents still don’t see Dubai as a permanent home, citing that they will move back or move on to another country at some point in the future, the study revealed.

The findings, the study surmised, highlight a huge gap between people’s beliefs about their future in Dubai and their everyday reality.

“What we have uncovered is that before people know it, many years pass and they may have acquired a family, property or a business that they hadn’t originally planned for,” said Hird.

However, due to people’s ‘temporary’ mindset and the city’s fast-paced way of life, expats tend to stay in the Dubai state of mind and “fail to get a grip on their more serious life admin, which they would normally address quicker if they were in their home country”, said Hird.

Tasks with long-term benefits such as registering a will, a pension or insurance are often put off by expatriates, who prefer to focus on more immediate goals. Around 77 per cent of respondents agreed that time seems to move faster in Dubai than in their home country, with 58 per cent of them claiming they had assets here, but only a little more than 10 per cent have a will registered in the UAE.

Looking at the huge gap between people’s beliefs about their future in Dubai and their everyday reality, Hird pointed out that expats need to accept the chance that they could be here longer than expected and should tackle the life scenarios that will help plan their future.

Tasks with long-term benefits such as registering a will, a pension or insurance are put off by expatriates, who prefer to focus on the more immediate goals [of enjoying life in Dubai].