As of March 29 2017, the UAE Cabinet has approved a decision to grant Indian passport holders with either a valid US visa or a green card a visa on arrival. Under the new move, ordinary passport holders from India who have a US visa or green card with a minimum six-month validity can enter the country from any point of entry for a period of 14 days, with an option for a one-time extension of the same period.

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/tourism/uae-visa-on-arrival-for-indians-with-us-visa-green-card-1.2002287

NOTE: Indian passport holders MUST have a valid US visa or a green card, with minimum six month validity (The 6 month validity holds true for both the visa and passport), to be eligible.

It would appear that its getting more and more beneficial to get a US visa as an add on to an Indian Passport to unlock its full potential, even if you never plan on visiting the US.

UAE visas, while typically not so hard to get, are relatively expensive when compared to other countries. The last time I headed down there, it was a whopping US $175 FOR A 30 day visa. The UAE is well worth a visit (get past the glitzy malls and skyscrapers and there is real culture and tradition hiding behind the scenes).