The Dubai Riviera has been reduced to a millionaire ghost town... but amid the empty restaurants, abandoned supercars and echoey champagne brunches, smart investors are already swooping in. Here's why

Dubai’s famed Riviera has been left a “millionaire ghost town” after Iranian missiles and drones struck the United Arab Emirates in late February, the Daily Mail reports, emptying beach clubs, luxury restaurants and terraces that once required reservations weeks in advance. While a number of expat Britons and other long‑term residents have returned, popular landmarks, hotels and restaurants have failed to recapture the huge international footfall that previously animated areas such as J1 Beach in La Mer.

"In La Mer's J1 area, all the beach clubs and venues have special offers, free entry for ladies and fully redeemable entry charges for men," a Dubai influencer told the Mail. "You can feel they're struggling and it will get worse as summer starts. These are places which you couldn't even get into."

Empty tables, heavy discounts and a shattered image

The Mail’s visit to J1 Beach found venues offering free entry, heavy discounts and complimentary tables to coax customers back. Sakhalin, billed as Dubai's most expensive fish restaurant and normally booked weeks ahead, was largely deserted: clients can expect to pay about £180 per person for lobster, crab and other crustaceans flown in from the seas off eastern Siberia, but when the Mail visited only one table was occupied by "a Russian‑speaking man and his elegant companion." The terrace sat empty and there were no swimmers in the sea.

Across the strip, the African Queen restaurant and resort has started offering free sunbeds on its private beach provided customers promise to buy food and drink. "The restaurant is not busy because of the situation," guest relations manager Michelle Sartini told the Mail. "We are trying to do everything to get trade. When the war started, it was very frightening. A lot of cities were affected a lot worse than Dubai, but no one expected there to be missiles landing here – even if it was only a few."

A young Italian visitor echoed the shock many felt: "The bombing was terrifying. You could see the rockets coming across the sea at night and hear the explosions. No one expected this in Dubai. We all considered it to be like Europe. Now, sadly, we have been reminded it is the Middle East."

Prices, offers and what visitors are seeing

• Sakhalin: roughly £180 per person for premium seafood sourced from eastern Siberia.
• Wine examples cited: a Vinho Verde from Portugal at about £100, and a Montrachet Grand Cru from Burgundy at about £4,700.
• Fresh fish menu items include river pike and a whole turbot for about £40.
• Promotions: free entry for women, fully redeemable entry charges for men, free sunbeds with a food or drink purchase.

For venues built on the spectacle of packed terraces and echoing champagne brunches, the sudden change is stark. The Mail notes that while some long‑term residents have returned to the tax‑free emirate, the broader international tourism patterns that sustained the Riviera's glitzy economy have not yet recovered. With summer approaching, local operators say the pressure on trading conditions may intensify as they roll out more offers to attract a smaller pool of visitors.