The United Arab Emirates didn’t qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but they will still be a winner as a flood of fans inundate their hotels, restaurants and planes.

With small investments, the UAE, and Dubai in particular, could win if, as expected, fans choose to stay in the tourism hotspot rather than tiny Gulf neighbor Qatar during the November-December tournament.

Experts say high accommodation prices in Qatar’s capital, Doha, and Dubai’s more permissive environment – including wider alcohol availability – could attract fans.

Low-cost airline flydubai will operate at least 30 daily round-trip flights to Doha, just an hour away, part of a daily airlift of 160 shuttle services from cities in the resource-rich Gulf.

Dubai “has relatively relaxed social standards when it comes to certain aspects of the culture, like alcohol consumption and dress codes,” said James Swanston, Middle East and North Africa economist at Capital Economics.

Any economic good fortune and the glory of the first World Cup on Arab soil will come less than two years after Doha and the UAE were daggered over a regional blockade that isolated Qatar from its neighbors.

The Dubai Sports Council has estimated that around a million World Cup fans could come to the city. Given that Qatar is expecting a similar number, the prediction may be ambitious.

Still, Dubai is arming itself with announced fan zones in parks, beaches and the financial center, while hotels are offering special packages.

These offers include shuttle flights and transport to the airport and fan zone.

The UAE also offers multiple-entry visas at a nominal price of 100 dirhams (US$27) to those holding World Cup tickets.

Visiting fans won’t be Dubai’s only World Cup commuters. Firas Yassin, a Franco-Lebanese resident of Dubai, booked a day trip to see France’s opening game after being “shocked” by hotel room prices in Doha.

Yassin will fly in with his wife five hours before the November 26 clash with Denmark, leaving a few hours after the final whistle after fulfilling his lifelong dream of watching ‘Les Bleus’ play live.

“I will visit the city, watch the game and then come back to my place in Dubai,” the 34-year-old told AFP.

Expat Sport, which is licensed by FIFA to sell match hospitality packages for the Doha Games, noted that “convenience” is a key factor when deciding to stay in Dubai.

It cited “the regular shuttle flights that operate between the two cities and it’s only a one-hour flight”.

A hotel in Dubai on the artificial frond-shaped palm island is left entirely to football fans.

“We’ve had a flood of bookings from Mexico, the UK, Europe and India,” said Expat Sport. “Room nights go by quickly and we expect they will be fully booked at this price.”

UAE hotel occupancy is already more than 40 per cent higher this year than Covid-hit 2019 and “strong tourism performance” is expected this winter, the Emir of Dubai and UAE Vice President said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Sunday.

According to official figures, Dubai had 769 hotels with more than 140,000 rooms in May, a significant increase from early 2019.

Shuttle flights are also being operated from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman to ease the pressure on shelters in Doha, a city of 2.4 million.

But “Compared to other Gulf countries, Dubai already has an advantage as a major tourist destination,” Swanston said.