Greetings, There are few destinations that epitomize the promise and challenges of medical travel better than Dubai. Once heralded as the future face of the industry, Dubai and, in particular, Dubai’s Healthcare City, were designed with noble aspirations and lofty ambitions. Then, like the rest of the world, it suffered from the realities of a global economic crisis. But unlike other medical travel players who abandoned their goals and plans, the visionaries and political leaders of Dubai simply went back to the drawing board and recast their vision to match the new and emerging realities around them (See FOCUS for more). While probably not the example they had initially hoped to set, Dubai exemplifies the fluidity needed to survive in the industry. Of course, there are still plenty of challenges to be addressed in Dubai, but their willingness to think big and, more importantly, re-think their big certainly bodes well for their future. As always, we welcome your comments, story ideas and press releases. Cheers, Amanda Haar, Editor [email protected]     YOUR OPINION MATTERS… Medical Travel Today recently partnered with Well-Being Travel to host the first “Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012.” The event – which took place June 20-21 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and drew in 400+ attendees – educated travel sellers on how and why they should sell medical and wellness travel. As a follow-up to the conference, we’re conducting a survey in an effort to gather benchmarking information…and help everyone increase their success in this specialty niche (including medical practitioners and facilities, wellness therapists and retreats, travel suppliers and travel sellers…and ultimately the patient travelers). Take our brief 10-question survey today and you could win a $250 American Express Gift Card!!! Just click on this link: https://www.research.net/s/5L687QT