Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, Sales and Marketing: The Essential Cultural Guide—From Presentations and Promotions to Communicating and Closing

DO I KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS?

GREETINGS VARY

Since several styles of greeting are currently in use in the United Arab Emirates, it is safest to wait for your Emirati counterpart to initiate the greeting, especially at a first meeting.

Westernized Emirati men shake hands with other men. Many Emirati men will shake hands with Western women, although strictly observant Muslims may not. Similarly, some Emirati women will not shake hands with foreign men or women. However, most businesswomen shake hands.

Traditionally, Emirati women do not have any physical contact with any males to whom they are not related. In fact, if you encounter a veiled woman with an Emirati man, it is not traditional to introduce her.

In a traditional Emirati greeting between ...