Dubai eliminated its 30% tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom and made the required liquor licences freely available, ending a long-standing source of income for the ruling family and ostensibly helping to increase tourism to the emirate.
Beer regularly costs more than $15 for a pint, or half-litre, despite the price reduction being announced by distributors but not officially confirmed by authorities.
According to distributors MMI and African and Eastern, the personal liquor licence, available to non-Muslims over 21 and required to purchase alcohol at Dubai’s few licenced shops, is now free.
“Buying your favourite drinks just got easier and cheaper!” MMI said in a Facebook post detailing the cuts. There was no immediate comment from Dubai authorities.
The United Arab Emirates, a Muslim nation and significant oil exporter that has gradually relaxed its restrictions on drinking, has its financial, trade, and tourism centres in Dubai.
The majority of the UAE, unlike its neighbour Saudi Arabia, is far from being a dry country, with alcohol being sold in places that have the appropriate licences, such as hotels, restaurants, bars, and designated shops. However, it cannot be consumed in public.
Only Sharjah, which is close to Dubai and one of the seven Emirates that comprise the UAE, completely bans alcohol.
The decision to reduce the price of alcohol was made as the Saudi capital Riyadh pursues an ongoing campaign to attract foreign tourists and businesses and just weeks after gas-rich Qatar raised its profile by hosting the World Cup of football.
According to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai welcomed more than 12 million foreign overnight visitors in the first 11 months of 2022, more than double the 6.02 million visitors who came during the same time in 2021.