Dubai relaxes liquor laws, allows tourists to buy alcohol

DUBAI: Dubai has loosened its liquor laws to allow tourists to purchase alcohol in state-controlled stores, previously only accessible to license-holding residents, as the United Arab Emirates saw the first drop in alcohol sales by volume in a decade. 

The new laws, which also let visitors to skyscraper-studded Dubai obtain liquor permits themselves for the first time, come amid a widening economic downturn affecting this oil-rich nation.

The laws close a long-standing legal conundrum facing imbibing tourists who travel here. 

Throwing back shots, sipping a beer or indulging in a Champagne-soaked brunch in this city-state remains illegal without a drinker holding a permit, though no bartender ever asks to see one before pouring a drink. 

“The UAE is facing tough challenges, as changes in both consumers’ buying behavior and demographics started to have an effect,” the market research firm Euromonitor International said.