11 ways to Dubai-it on your summer vacation this year
Just the best methods for flexing a little bit of that uniquely Dubai essence on the rest of the world…
You must have seen it. The ‘Dubai-it’ campaign, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, coined the new phrase to immortalise Dubai’s unrivalled acumen in achieving things the rest of the world could only dream of.
In his own words, Sheikh Mohammed stated that Dubai-it “means swift execution, and results the world can see in record time.”






















No free sun loungers
There's a way round it if you Dubai it
Lackluster resort entertainment
We're belting out a back catalogue on how to Dubai it
Underwhelming landmarks
Dubai it solutions to follow
No parking
Dubai has the answer
Freezing seas
Just count to 10 and Dubai-it
Sloth-like airport transfers
Dubai-it solutions below
Rainy days
You can Dubai it too
European heatwave
Find out Dubai it below
Restaurant booked up
Dubai has your cover covered
Box room
Dubai it MSQ
Online, it’s been expanded to include interpretations of generational finessing, clutching-up and surmounting the insurmountable.
We’re going with that slightly broader understanding, and using the following as our dictionary definition for the purposes of the feature:
Dubai-it
/doo-BYE-it/
verb
1. To look at a seemingly impossible challenge, and without hesitation or doubt, respond with the words “hold my karak.”
Example: “Building the world’s tallest hotel on a man-made island? Just Dubai-it.”
For those in the Voltarol gel and early bedtime generations, it’s essentially the modern version of MacGuyvering-it.
But how can this philosophy help you on your summer holidays? What possible applications of Dubaiing-it could be made on European Rivieras and Maldivian atolls? These are just a few of the ways we believe your vacation time can be enhanced by sprinkling a little bit of Dubai-on-it. Clutch-up and
Problem: No sun loungers at the pool
You’ve woken up a little late at the resort and certain nationalities (there’s enough testimony out there for us to stray from anonymity, so for clarity’s sake, we’re looking at you England and Germany) have already claimed all of the free sun lounger territory with their towels. Sure you could make a scene, tear off the towels in a fit of rage, march to the manager and Karenmaxx, but ask yourself… What would Dubai do in this little hypothetical?
Dubai-it solution: Build beach clubs, hundreds of them. And when you’ve run out of space, multiple manmade archipelagos with yet more beach clubs and more sun loungers. Winners don’t settle for plastic patio chairs.
Problem: The hotel room is too small
You’ve booked a charming European city hotel, only to discover ‘cosy’ means you can open the wardrobe or the bathroom door, but never both at once. What is the UAE fix?
Dubai-it solution: Add another 40 square metres, a walk-in, open-air, wardrobatorium, a marble bathroom and a private terrace overlooking a fountain large enough to have its own performance schedule. In Dubai, a room only becomes a suite once it has suites of its own.
Problem: The restaurant has no table available
It’s 8pm, you’re hungry, and the maitre d’ has just offered you a booking for three weeks on Tuesday. You could wander around searching for somewhere else, splurging your eSim data on TikTok recommendations, or you could – you know – Dubai-it.
Dubai-it solution: Open your own restaurant next door. Then put one on the roof, one underwater, one in the desert and then dominate the region’s 50 best list with your significant talent. Waiting lists should simply be viewed a failure of supply.
Problem: The beach is covered in pebbles
You’ve arrived at a Ionian cove, removed your shoes and immediately discovered that every step feels like walking across a tray of super-heated LEGO. What would Dubai do?
Dubai-it solution: Import several million tonnes of soft white sand, sculpt it into a pristine shoreline and comb it every morning before breakfast. Nature is wonderful, but occasionally it needs a little customer-service training.
Problem: It’s raining on your sightseeing day
You’ve travelled thousands of kilometres to admire a famous landmark, and now it’s hiding behind a sheet of horizontal rain. Dubai’s answer?
Dubai-it solution: Put the landmark indoors. Add air-conditioning, a food hall and perhaps a roller coaster running through it. Or better yet, control the local meteorological system itself. Weather should be an optional add-on rather than a compulsory part of the experience.
Problem: The airport transfer takes forever
You land, take an age collecting your luggage and then spend two hours crawling towards the hotel behind a tractor and a caravan. The Dubai flex…
Dubai-it solution: Get to the [Uber] chopper.
Problem: The sea is too cold
The beach looks perfect, the sun is shining and the water temperature appears to have been set by a Scandinavian correctional committee. Over to you Dubai.
Dubai-it solution: The problem here is a perception gap. The cold is good thing – you just need more going on at the destination. Whack in a swim-up bar and a DJ, entirely on-theme so as to not encroach on the ocean’s authenticity. Set up a sustainable sea safari, coral rehabilitation farm, and marine wildlife conservation centre – offering once-in-a-lifetime ocean-to-retina experiences.
Problem: The old town has nowhere to park
You’ve driven in circles for 45 minutes, passed the same fountain seven times and are now considering abandoning the vehicle in another country. Dubai’s solution?
Dubai-it solution: The two Vs. Valet and vertical parking. Either above or below. Just make sure the visual and cultural integrity of the site remains intact. Historic charm is lovely. But so is knowing where you left the car.
Problem: The resort/cruise entertainment is boring
The pattern will be familiar to many veterans of the generic large family resort. The website promises nightly entertainment from the talented ‘animation group’, but the reality feels more like 30-year old comic sketches, overly complicated dance routines where audience participation is strictly enforced, and a heavy reliance on startlingly poor karaoke-pooling.
Dubai-it solution: Ship in a Cirque Du Soleil variant, round-up the latest winners of Everywhere’s Got Talent, chuck in some 00’s pop band revivals and make them battle it out in a thrilling tiered tournament with Motorcross intervals and drone show afterparties.
Problem: The landmark isn’t impressive enough
It’s ancient, eh kind of culturally significant but, if we’re being honest, it’s slightly smaller than we expected and it feels like the guide book might be guilty of miss-selling us on general awe and worthiness of queueing up for.
Dubai-it solution: Dubai would make it taller, illuminate it, surround it with restaurants and arrange a nightly projection show across its façade. History deserves respect. It also photographs better with lasers.
Problem: Europe is experiencing a heatwave
Europe is having quite the summer isn’t it? But also *realises there is no AC in the hotel room* it really is having quite the summer.
Dubai-it solution: AC is a borderline fundamental human right so, we’re going to need all of this *gestures broadly towards the European continent* to initiate quality compliance. Throw in a few indoor ski resorts, a mandatory temp-controlled pool every 50 metres, air conditioned bus shelters, shaded walkways, rain streets, cloud seeding and convection cooled courtyards.
