Where has everyone gone?

K & I went to Marina Mall to pay Bounce (trampoline park) for the scouts end of term event this week. We decided to go to the cinema to watch 'Tomb Raider'. In the cinema there were 11 people on a Saturday afternoon. We then went to Fuddruckers (burger joint) where there was a similar number of people. In the past we have had to wait 30/40 minutes for a table.

It is getting quite noticeable that more and more people are leaving to go back to their home countries. The increased cost of living (price hikes and the introduced VAT), as well as the impact of Emiratisation (which is encouraging private companies and institutions to employ Emiratis in various management, administrative and technical positions-which is a good thing), have make Abu Dhabi a less attractive destination for expats.