Dubai, Aug 10: Rakhis made of gold were much in demand by the Indian community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they busily shopped for Raksha Bandhan, an annual festival that marks the special bond between bothers and sisters.

Shops selling rakhi goods were doing brisk business, said a report.

"We were a bit wary in the beginning whether people would be interested in the rakhis made out of gold," said a shopkeeper. "But we had to re-order the new collections."

"We have different types of rakhis this year and all of them are imported from India. The demand was high this year as compared to previous years. We had a separate section for rakhis and the reaction from the customers has been overwhelming," said another shopkeeper in Meena Bazaar, Bur Dubai.