After wandering through the Dubai Mall, I understand why it is an appealing place for Dubai’s residents, but I cannot understand why tourists visit.
- Dubai has the world's second largest mall, a gargantuan complex with 1,200 stores, an aquarium, a virtual reality theme park, an Olympic ice skating rink, and hundreds of restaurants.
- The mall has seen over 80 million annual visitors over the last four years, making it the most visited mall in the world.
- After spending a day wandering through the mall's many amenities, I understand why it is a necessary and appealing place for Dubai’s residents, but I still cannot understand why any tourist would visit.
Dubai doesn’t do anything small.
The desert city has the world’s tallest building, palm tree-shaped artificial islands that fan out along the coast, the world’s largest indoor theme park, and, soon, the world’s first rotating skyscraper. And of course: Who could forget the malls?
Dubai has approximately 65 malls in a city of just over 3 million people, with ten more on the way. For some, the malls are the most iconic part of Dubai. And no mall is more iconic than the Dubai Mall.
Opened 10 years ago this November, the Dubai Mall is the second largest mall in the world by total land area (it was surpassed in 2013 by the New Century Global Center in China).
To call it a mall is an understatement. Aside from more than 1,200 stores, the mall has its own neighborhoods — from a high-fashion district akin to Fifth Avenue to “The Village,” an open-air “street” — hundreds of restaurants, movie theaters, a luxury hotel, an Olympic-size ice skating rink, a virtual reality theme park, and an aquarium.
Despite talk in the US of a “retail apocalypse” shutting down America’s malls, no such danger appears to be in sight for Dubai. Emaar, the Dubai Mall’s developer, said recently that the property has seen over 80 million annual visitors for the last four years, making it the most visited mall in the world.
With Dubai climbing the ranks of most visited cities in the world — it’s currently fourth with 16.7 million visitors per year — and The Dubai Mall ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 attraction in the city, that number is only going to climb.
All of which is to say, as a first-timer to Dubai, I had to visit. Here's what it was like:
At over 13 million square feet in total size and over 5.9 million square feet in internal floor area, the Dubai Mall is immense. This is what it looks like from the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, which is part of the complex.
Though it's currently winter in Dubai, temperatures are still in the high 80s with a punishing sun overhead. The Dubai Mall seemed like an easy way to get out of the heat, which is, I suspect, why so many residents visit.
But for those looking to find anything resembling Middle Eastern or Emirati culture, look elsewhere. There's a Texas Roadhouse ...
... a California Pizza Kitchen ...
... and a Pottery Barn. But it is cool inside. After spending even a half-hour outside in the midday heat, the mall was a welcome respite.
While there are a number of entrances, the one I came through brought me to the airy Star Atrium. The column in the center is part of an eight-minute interactive show called Talisman by the founder of Cirque du Soleil.
Source: The Dubai Mall
A technician controls the installation from a control booth upstairs.
Check out the installation in action here»
Despite my tepidness over the mall, the Dubai Mall has been an unmitigated success for Emaar, the mall's developer. Emaar also developed the Burj Khalifa.
Since the mall opened in 2008, it has steadily grown the number of people who visit each year. In 2009, it saw 39 million visitors. Last year, it saw over 80 million.
Source: Khaleej Times
I think a big reason it has that massive draw is because it's a mini-America for populations that don't get access to American brands. And I'm not just talking big brands like KFC and Pizza Hut.
There's a Magnolia Bakery and a Mighty Quinn's BBQ, two smaller, high-end New York City-based restaurants.
It would be easier to name which American brands weren't represented than those that were.
There's even a location of the Cereal Killer Cafe, the cheeky hipster London café that started a mini-uproar over the price of its cereal bowls when it opened in 2014.
Of the 15.8 million people that visited Dubai last year, the biggest number —2.1 million — came from India.
Source: GulfNews
And Dubai's fastest growing market is China, with 764,000 visitors last year. That number could top 1 million this year. Note the Chinese characters on the signage.
Source: Arabian Business
With 1,200 stores in the mall, there are, of course, some unique ones. Like this art gallery/art supply store.
And this one selling traditional Arabian rugs and carpets, lighting, and other knick-knacks.
The mall feels like the retail version of an Avengers movie: overstuffed with blockbuster elements to the point where it's sensory overload. But there are some parts that amaze, like The Waterfall, an 80-foot cascading art installation.
Source: Emirates247
The Waterfall is adorned with fiberglass sculptures of divers.
The mall is big it even has its own neighborhoods, like The Village. It attempts to conjure a naturalistic streetscape with cafes, restaurants, and casual clothing stores. It was quiet when I went by.
One of the mall's main attractions is its Olympic-size ice skating rink.
There are 300 spectator seats for the rink, as well as group lessons, private coaching sessions, and even "disco nights."
Source: Living in Dubai
You wouldn't think people would be very good skaters, considering Dubai is in the desert and all, but I saw more than a few people zipping around.
There's also a store that sells skating and ice hockey merchandise. You're never too far from a store in the mall.
The mall is very easy to get lost in. There are maps around, but this is a true labyrinth of consumerism. Good luck getting out.
One of the more inspired parts of the mall is The Souk, a neighborhood that mimics a traditional marketplace seen in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Souk features a number of jewelry shops, traditional Arab handicrafts, and gold shops. But it's the architecture and design of the space that is stunning.
At the center of The Souk is the Grand Atrium, featuring a real 155-million-year-old Diplodocus longus dinosaur fossil. The fossil was found in Wyoming.
Source: GulfNews
A highlight of my visit to the Dubai Mall was getting a cup of joe at %Arabica, a specialty coffee chain started in Kyoto, Japan.
After grabbing coffee, I took a stroll past the 2.65-million-gallon tank that forms the centerpiece of the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.
But at nearly $40 a ticket for the aquarium, I was fine staying on the outside. I still got a glimpse of the sharks and stingrays in the tank.
The sun was starting to set, so I decided to head outside to get a look at the futuristic exterior of the mall and the rest of the Burj Khalifa complex. I wasn't the only one.
The Burj Khalifa towers over the area like some dystopian tower from the Wizard of Oz.
The other buildings that flank the Dubai Mall aren't too shabby, either.
The mall and the Burj Khalifa sit on the edge of a 30-acre man-made lake.
Everyone seemed to be standing on the edge of the lake and either staring at the Burj or taking selfies with it.
If you're wondering which company has the storefront overlooking the best view of the Burj and the lake, I'll give you a hint: It's the most valuable company in the world.
That's right. Apple.
And if you want to hang out on Apple's picture-perfect balcony for the best Burj selfie, you've got to wait on a long line like you're trying to buy the new iPhone.
If all that wasn't enough, the Dubai Mall just keeps getting bigger. Earlier this year, the mall opened its latest addition: The Fashion Avenue.
The area adds space for 150 luxury shops with expert personal shoppers and in-mall chauffeurs.
The area is meant to mimic Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
I'll be honest — it's a little out of my price range.
But there was a very cool exhibit showcasing haute couture's take on sneaker culture, including kicks from Dolce and Gabbana and others. EDM was blasting through the exhibit.
I liked this hanging light installation over the sneaker exhibit. The mall and its many designers seem to pay attention to the details.
The brands on sale in Fashion Avenue include everything from Hermes and Valentino to Cartier.
... And Prada.
The most fun part of the mall (for me, anyway) was one of its newest additions, a 75,000-square-foot virtual reality theme park.
The park opened earlier this year and already looked, on my visit, to be one of the more popular attractions in the mall.
When I saw the setup for Robocom VR, a space fighting game that straps you into a rotating chair, I knew I had to give it a try.
It was a ton of fun, if not exactly the hardest video game I've ever played. The virtual reality attractions definitely feel like virtual reality 1.0 or 2.0. They could still use more interactivity and better visuals.
But I'm a little scared for what these games will look like in 20 years. I did a shooting game for The Mummy. When the undead pop out in the game, it's freaky enough to make you jump in real life.
The weakest of the bunch was this "skydiving" simulator, which spins you up and down in big carnival-ride-like machine while the VR goggles show you the skyline of Dubai.
I was leaving the mall around dinner time and it was getting even more packed. I get why so many Dubai residents come. The mall has literally everything a city dweller might want or need, all in one place.
But for tourists? There's nothing there most couldn't get somewhere in their home country. If I was making a recommendation, I'd tell most people to skip it, unless there's some store or attraction you're dying to visit (i.e. the VR park or Hermes).
But if you do end up making the trip, the Dubai Mall team always seems to have a few surprises up its sleeve. Like the $218 million Dubai Fountain, the world's largest choreographed fountain system.
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