Dubai is very rich. It has not always been that way, but in the current years, Dubai has worked very hard to become a prosperous in what they have. One of the reasons for this is their tourism. They worked to build their city up to make it a tourist attraction that those from all over the world would like to visit.
People come from around the world, to visit their malls, beaches, and hiking areas. Another thing that has made them prosperous has been the oil they have found in recent years. This finding has made them competitive with other countries in that market.
Dubai is a prosperous country. It has worked to get that way though, not rich by means of oil like its neighbors. It does have oil, but that was only discovered around fifty years ago and only accounts for about one percent of its wealth. From the 1770s up until less that one hundred years ago, the primary source of income was pearls. It was also a fishing port. Now, it has a lot of its wealth come from real estate sales and tourism.
They also make big bank loans. They make a trade in things regarding oil though and make a pretty penny off the revenues. They are innovative in their business and have made their wealth the hard, rather than the easy, way.