A different economy, different parameters, and a different scenario altogether, recession is here and apparently it's here to stay. If you are an aged fellow, you'd know that these calamities come and go, but if you are relatively young (or someone affected by it), you'd be feeling like a deer caught in the headlights while listening to the news of economic crisis sprawling all over the world. A recession like situation in US was always on radar when the credit crunch began, and the aftermaths were supposed to be seen in other economies as well. But some economies were considered resilient enough to pass through this phase unaffected. One of these "thought-to-be" solid economies was UAE, which thrives on its oil reserves, real estate and tourism.

Not that the earlier estimates were wrong, and UAE economy is deemed to go down with the recession, but then we are living in a global village and you can't just detach an economy from those who are having trouble. All things considered, UAE may well be able to put up with the ongoing recession, but this economic unrest will definitely weaken the economy pillars.

Real Estate & Construction:

In past three years, we saw magnificent growth in Dubai real estate market. Properties were sold like hot cakes; mega projects announced one after another, land reclamation projects, world's tallest buildings, huge shopping malls and what not. Is it over? You'd ask. Well, certainly not, however the things (e.g. property flipping) are going to calm down to some extent. Construction will not come to a halt anytime soon but will surely drop (you'd have been reading a lot about those 25 percent of world total cranes operating in Dubai, a few of these giant machines can have a break now). Same is the case with real estate prices, they will continue to rise but not at that maddening speed.

Financial Market:

Hardly anyone would have suspected it to reach UAE, but the financial crisis that started from US has been spreading like jungle fire. Even now, the situation in UAE is not that dismal by any means, and it's unlikely to get that worse (oil exports will keep bringing in the much needed capital, particularly in Abu Dhabi). But the banks and other conventional lenders are already panicked, which has resulted in high interest rates. Unavailability of finance will most likely be a problem that Dubai government has to sort out (Dubai has recently got a huge financial aid from Abu Dhabi).

Tourism:

It's not much of a brainteaser for anybody to realize that recession will have a negative affect on tourism industry, especially when most of the tourists coming to the Emirates are from regions that are believed to be the most affected ones (UK, America or Europe). Instead of spending on traveling, people will be looking to save more for tough times ahead. Among all Emirates, Dubai will be hardest hit by this plunge in tourism.

Generally speaking, the picture may not be that rosy in UAE but it will look a lot healthier when judged against the wobbling economies of US or Europe.