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02/27/2011

India outside India - Part 1

Not many posts this month: I was travelling!!

Two countries, the antipodes of each other but with a common points: the population (of the Indian subcontinent). Yes, you know me by now… 

So first, Dubai, with its Indian workers:

1.9 millions people in 2011 and 30% of Indians (about 570,000 Indians) and 60% of people from the subcontinent (including Bangladeshis and Pakistanis). In 2008, “for India, financial transfers of the migrating workers represented 45 billions dollars, 3.7% of its GDP (according to the United Nations”.

And with its Indian tourists also : more than 35% of the 357,000 Indian visitors (estimated) in the UAE in 2005 have stayed in 4 or 5 star hotels and 40% would be business travellers. This figure (357,000 Indian visitors) excludes Indians working in the UAE and just visiting India for holidays or going to the UAE to look for a job.

I felt really weird during the last part of our dune safari. We were having dinner in the desert when a belly dancer came in. She was Russian (Russian in India generally means, however sad it is, prostitutes). Among the 200 Indians, a good part of it just rushed to the stage (literally running) to stare at her and throw notes like if she was a bar dancer. And drunk on top of it. I know the image of the French tourist is pretty bad but the beat us flat!! 

Well, there is one guy who really made me laugh: 

Indien à Dubai.JPG

He absolutely wanted to be photographed in front of my car, holding a lollypop. How weird???!!

Sources : http://www.lesechos.fr/economie-politique/presse-etrangere/020244987260-dubai-le-cauchemar-des-travailleurs-indiens.htm ; http://www.hindustantimes.com/Dubai-targets-Indian-leisure-tourists/Article1-88362.aspx ; http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5444.htm ; http://www.dsc.gov.ae/Publication/Dubai_Population_09_eng...