Beach destination or dirty dump?

I’m willing to bet that no tourist wants to pick litter out of their way, skip over natural debris, or navigate their way around fly-covered excrement when on holiday.

The problem is that, for guests at one of the hotels located along the beach behind Jumeirah Beach Residence, this may well be a reality.

A morning jog along the beach this morning — which is painful at the best of times — was even more challenging because of the rubbish and scattered waste I had to avoid. And yes, once I had removed my trainers to have a relaxing stroll barefoot through the sand, I did see — and only narrowly avoid — a little pile of dog’s mess.

My run had taken me from the corner of Sheraton Jumeriah Beach Resort & Towers up to the Habtour Grand, taking in Hilton Dubai Jumeriah, Al Futtaim Tower and The Ritz-Carlton Dubai en route, plus of course the several small stretches of public beach separating each hotel.

So, whose responsibility is it to maintain, clean and generally look after the beach? The hotels may have their own pristine, sun-lounger adorned areas of sand, but chances are, any guest at one of those hotels will at some point go for a walk along the beach. If what they see isn’t pretty, their perception of the hotel is surely tarnished and the image of Dubai as a beach destination all but destroyed.

Wouldn’t it be in the interests of these hotels then — along with the soon to open Mövenpick Dubai Beach, Sofitel Dubai Beach and Amwaj Rotana — to join forces and take control of the beach that sets their hotels above other luxury properties in Dubai? Isn’t it the responsibility of these properties to contribute as much as possible to the reputation of Dubai as a top-class holiday destination?

What about the municipalities? Should the government step in and invest in some industrial beach harvesters, like the ones you might see in the south of France? It’s not a huge beach, just over a mile in length, so the investment wouldn’t be massive and the time to turn the beach over each morning would be minimal. Imagine, no litter and freshly-combed sand; that’s the postcard-perfect image Dubai is after.

Or, should the residents and owners of apartments at Jumeirah Beach Residences, or indeed the developer Dubai Properties, hold their hands up and take responsibility for the impact they have made on the public beaches?

Either way, someone needs to take responsibility. And this has to happen now, not next year.

Dubai does not have the world’s best natural beaches — there’s no fine white sand or glittering turquoise ocean — but they’re pleasant enough, plus they offer the rare asset of a sea that is warm enough to swim in all year round. As long as the beach is clean and well kept, I guarantee that is more than satisfactory for most tourists.

The high occupancies at beach front properties this summer has reinforced the popularity of these properties, so it’s time to join forces and protect the few natural assets available to Dubai’s hotel industry.

And look after the joggers of course…

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