Dubai makes the UK's top ten markets

UK exports to Dubai rose 134% in 2005 reaching a total value of 30.9 billion Dirhams (£4.76 billion).

UK exports to the UAE as a whole increased by 106% in 2005 to 36.2 billion Dirhams (£5.57 billion). Trade with the Northern Emirates grew by 36.5% and was worth 3.7 billion Dirhams (£571 million) in 2005. Two-way trade between the UAE and UK increased significantly last year to 45.4 billion Dirhams (£6.99 billion) from 24.7 billion Dirhams in 2004 (£3.8 billion).

The British Consul General, Mr John Hawkins, said that he was delighted to see British Business was continuing to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities Dubai and the whole of the UAE had to offer. He expressed his gratitude to the Dubai authorities for everything they have done to make Dubai an attractive hub for British business. He also drew attention to the very good work done by the British Business Group (BBG) for Dubai and the Northern Emirates in supporting the British business community. He mentioned the strong relationship between the BBG and the Trade and Investment Section at the Embassy and the BBG's rising membership, up 14% in the last 12 months to 743 companies.

'I am very pleased to see British Business continue to do well. Dubai is an open market and the competition is tough. But we know that British companies have more to offer and we at the Embassy will be working harder than ever in 2006 to encourage more British companies, especially Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to come to Dubai to invest and to use Dubai as the base from which to target the markets of the region' said Mr Hawkins.

These trade figures however are one part of the picture as they only refer to trade in goods and do not reflect Britain's continuing strength in the service sector or the very strong bilateral investment relationship. Mr Hawkins added 'we have seen many important new British investments in Dubai over the last year, particularly into the DIFC and Dubai Healthcare City. I am particularly pleased that we are also seeing more investment from Dubai in the UK. The UK is like Dubai an open market and welcomes investors from all over the world.'

This very healthy picture has also been reflected in the day to day activities of the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Section at the British Embassy in Dubai. Claire Evans, Deputy Consul General and Head of Trade and Investment, reported that last year the number of individual British Business visitors using embassy trade services rose 27% to 352. The UKTI team also dealt with a significant increase in trade missions. In 2006 the team will be assisting almost 600 UK companies at 32 supported exhibitions, up from 26 in 2005 and expect to see many others who continue to come under their own steam to exhibit with their local partners. In the last 12 months the team have also seen a 33% increase in requests from UK companies for research reports on the prospects for their products and services in the local market.

British Business is also recognising the great opportunities in Abu Dhabi. Gordon Brown, Head of Trade and Investment for the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, confirmed a 110% increase in the number of UK business visitors seen by the Trade and Investment team in 2005 and expected many more in 2006.