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Dubai International Airport is a fortress hub for Emirates airlines and has a vast Duty Free shopping centre. It is also considered to be among the world's best and finest airports. Dubai airport has won many awards for its excellence in design and services.

Nearly all the commercial establishments are run by expatriates with a silent local partner who merely "rents" the business license for a negotiated annual fee without taking part in any capital investment. The numerous free trade zones allow for full expatriate ownership, but are only suitable for large businesses.

Apart from donated land for the construction of churches and other religious facilities, including cemeteries, non-Muslim groups are not supported financially or subsidized by the Government. However, they are permitted to raise money from among their congregants and to receive financial support from abroad. Christian churches are permitted to openly advertise certain church functions, such as memorial services, in the press.

In early 2001, ground was broken for the construction of several churches on a parcel of land in Jebel Ali donated by the Government of Dubai for four Protestant congregations and a Catholic congregation. In May 2001, the Crown Prince of Dubai authorised the construction of a Greek Orthodox church on donated land.

There are an increasing number of "freehold" villas and flats which come with a guaranteed residence visa renewable every three years for a around US$1350 per person. The Jumeira Palm, an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree, is one of these. It is illegal to seek employment on this visa though, and a separate job visa must be obtained from an employer. It is common practice among Dubai employers to hold on to employees' passports for the duration of the employment contract. This is done to prevent expatriate employees from moving to higher paying jobs. On termination of an employment contract, expatriates and their families are usually banned from the country for six months.

Islam is the official religion of all the emirates. A vast majority of the people are Sunnis. There are foreign minority Hindus and Christians as well. Dubai is the only Emirate to house a Hindu temple.

The first villa freehold properties that were occupied by non-UAE nationals were The Meadows, The Springs and The Lakes, all masterplanned communities designed by Emaar, resulting in luxurious upperclass neighbourhoods collectively known as Emirates Hills. Over the 2005-2006 time frame, most of the freehold skycrapers and other villa projects will be ready for occupation, sparking a new phase in Dubai's history as a city.

The official language is Arabic, but English and Hindi are widely spoken.

Dubai has become an important tourist destination, helped by its rapidly-expanding airline Emirates, which is headed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, an uncle of the emir. Dubai is also diversifying as a hub for service based industries such as IT and finance, with the new Dubai International Financial Centre or DIFC. The government has set up enclaves and freezones for industry specific corporations. Dubai Internet City, now combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave and houses IT companies such as EMC Corporation, Oracle, Microsoft and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, Reuters and AP.

Emaar properties is on course to construct the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai. The corporation claims: "Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret but it will beat all records and on a scale that will be a dramatic testament to Dubai's faith in the future."

Non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature. The Government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religions and, in practice, interferes very little in the religious activities of non-Muslims.