The Expo effect

New facilities at the exhibition venue in Dubai offer variety at affordable prices

The Outlet Village, a Romanesque retail enclave inspired by classical Tuscan architecture, has opened in Jebel Ali. 

Victor Besa for The National.
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When Dubai sought to host Expo 2020, the goal was not just to provide a world-class event for millions of international visitors and UAE residents but also to provide a financial fillip for southern Dubai. With the opening of the Outlet Village mall in Jebel Ali, it is clear the planned stimulus is already manifesting itself, four years before the gates open.

This mall shows Dubai’s appeal is much broader than just to the five-star brigade, although they too will appreciate snapping up a bargain from a huge variety of brand-name goods in a medieval Italian town setting. Besides this mall, shoppers have the slew of new theme parks under construction in the area, as well as Last Exit, a new food truck park, which is reviewed in Arts & Life today.

Once the southern end of Dubai was little more than desert but the vision of using Expo 2020 to stimulate growth in this part of the emirate is already paying dividends, as well as showing that there are reasons for even those with modest budgets to visit.