Both countries are prioritising administering booster shots to their elderly populations and those who have chronic illness
Author Archives: Staff Writer
Emirates
Emirates has manpower to deal with passenger demand, says leading official
Dubai-based carrier saw its headcount reduced by 24% as a result of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic
Champions League
Abu Dhabi owner to fund Man City fans’ trip to Champions League final
Sheikh Mansour seeks to remove the most significant financial barrier to fans attending the final, says club
abu dhabi ship building
Abu Dhabi shipbuilder wins $950m deal to build UAE Navy vessels
Abu Dhabi Ship Building says new contract is its largest-ever order
du Arena
Etihad Airways inks naming deal for Middle East’s largest outdoor venue
Open-air venue on Yas Island to be renamed Etihad Park after agreement between airline and owner Flash Entertainment
Arabian Travel Market
Saudi’s Red Sea giga-project to limit annual tourist numbers to 1 million
CEO Jean Pagano tells panel discussion at Arabian Travel Market that just a ‘small fraction’ of the 28,000 sq km site will be developed
Dubai economy
Revealed: The Expo 2020 itineraries to help attract millions of visitors to Dubai
Available in a half-day, full-day or three-day formats, the journeys will target families, couples, students and business travellers
coronavirus restrictions
Live events in Dubai expected to prove boom to tourism, F&B, encourage vaccination
Dubai has further relaxed Covid-19 restrictions, saying events and live entertainment would be allowed on a one-month trial period – which can be extended – given that performers and attendees are vaccinated
City Developments
QIA mulls injecting HSBC headquarters into Singapore REIT
The potential deal would boost the value of the real estate investment trust portfolio to 1.8 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) from 600 million pounds
clean energy
Oman’s OQ and partners plan 25-gigawatt green hydrogen plant
State oil firm OQ SAOC, Hong Kong-based InterContinental Energy Ltd. and Kuwait’s EnerTech will be partners on the project
Ali Sajwani
Five top tips for entrepreneurs to get real and start-up
There is a widely held view that funding for start-ups continues to be a major challenge for entrepreneurs in the Middle East
Dubai property market
Ramadan 2021 saw most transactions recorded in Dubai during the holy month
Over 4,800 properties worth $2.8 billion were sold in Dubai during the holy month, an all-time record
Bahrain Economic Development Board
Bahrain real estate transactions reach $600m in first quarter
Almost 3,000 real estate deals were conducted in the kingdom in Q1, 2021
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airline business
Emirates ready to welcome ‘millions’ from Covid-refunded tickets
Dubai-based carrier refunded 2.7 million tickets last year and through to March 31, 2021, worth around $2.7bn
Dubai businesses
Morgan Stanley sees Dubai property rally lasting for years
Business activity in Dubai, the Middle East’s main financial hub, has risen to the highest level since late 2019 because of a rebound in tourism and a fast distribution of coronavirus vaccines
investment strategy
Saudi wealth fund loads up on video-game makers and exits Suncor
The Public Investment Fund brought its total commitment to video-game makers including Activision Blizzard Inc., Electronic Arts Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. to $6 billion during the first quarter
Air travellers
The path to restoring travellers’ confidence during Covid-19
Aviation and tourism experts stressed on the importance of private and public sector collaboration to get the global travel industry back on its feet during Day 2 of ATM
Anthony Joshua
Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate likely to host Joshua versus Fury fight for heavyweight title
‘Things look very encouraging’ for giga project Diriyah Gate to host the fight, development authority CEO says. But there are doubts the bout will happen after US mediation ruling
digital streaming
Belgium-based media company Proshot will launch Filmpot streaming service in Middle East
Filmpot, which is to make Dubai its headquarters, also has plans to form a joint venture with an Indian company for production of films and serials
Amaala
Saudi ultra-luxury project may raise up to $2.7 billion in 2022
Amaala, on the northwestern coast of Saudi Arabia, won’t tap markets until next year, Chief Executive Officer John Pagano said in an interview
Accenture
Strategic approach to innovation can boost profitability and productivity for regional firms, says Accenture report
The consultancy recommends 12 governing actions for companies to deepen their innovation focus and make greater strides in business transformation
acquisitions
Abu Dhabi-based Agthia Group acquires majority stake in Nabil Foods
The acquisition marks the group’s first entry into the processed protein industry and is aligned with its 2025 ‘transformational strategy focused on scalable opportunities’, said Group CEO
airline business
Emirates looking to ramp up capacity to 70% by ‘critical’ winter period
Dubai-based airline has so far recovered 120 passenger destinations, despite continued Covid restrictions
luxury
RM 40-01 Automatic Tourbillion McLaren Speedtail to release in 106-piece limited run
Long-term partnership reaches new technical heights with in-house first power reserve display, oversize date and function selector complications, all of which
are firsts in a Richard Mille in-house automatic tourbillon
Arabian Travel Market
Time for a rethink on the UAE’s red listing? An open letter to Grant Shapps, the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport
As the UAE’s coronavirus cases continue to decline, and the nation is named as one of the most covid-resilient in the world, Arabian Business is urging a rethink on the emirates’ Red List status
domestic tourism
Saudi, UAE residents ready to travel as restrictions ease
Saudi residents are more likely to favour domestic tourism or destinations within Middle East and North Africa, while UAE residents are looking outside the region as they start to go abroad again
Arabian Travel Market
CEO says Saudi flag carrier to return to profitability by 2024
Captain Ibrahim Koshy forecasts that increased aircraft orders will meet the pent-up demand of returning travellers
Adel Al Redha
Flydubai chief among candidates to replace Emirates president Clark
Candidates emerge as Sir Tim Clark prepares to end his two-decade run at the helm of the world’s largest long-haul airline
Dubai hotels
Dubai hotels told they must hit sustainability deadline of July 1
Dubai Tourism initiative includes requirements which aim to enhance the emirate as a sustainable tourism destination
Aviation
Dubai Airports CEO backs call for vaccination passports
Paul Griffiths says he cannot see any alternative to restart mass foreign travel after the coronavirus pandemic
cooling service provider
Cooling giant Tabreed names Khalid Al Marzouqi as new CEO
Khalid Al Marzouqi will replace Bader Al Lamki who was appointed CEO in April 2019
gcc logistics
Kuwait logistics major Agility seeks growth in emerging markets, new tech
CEO says sale of commercial logistics business to DSV Panalpina will give company more flexibility going forward
digital banking
Sequoia enters Mideast, teams up with firm that hired Mesut Ozil
Digital banks have taken off with the spread of finance technology in a region where millions lack access to banking services
Arabian Travel Market
Saudi Tourism Authority CEO lauds Seera, Klook partnership
Seera will be the exclusive partner of Klook in Saudi Arabia, and together, the two entities will create a one-stop digital platform with end-to-end content and inventory management solutions
Arabian Travel Market
Dubai tourism chief hails relaxing of Covid-19 rules for hospitality sector
Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Tourism, said that the time is right to allow hotels to return to 100 percent occupancy.
Coronavirus Dubai
Live entertainment, weddings and community sporting events are back on in Dubai
Under the new guidelines announced Monday by Dubai’s Media Office, 10 diners can now sit at a table, and concerts and social and institutional events are back on, “on the condition that attendees and participants have been vaccinated”
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
Rothschild taps Argentina crisis veteran for Mideast turnarounds
Esteban Buljevich, who’s retiring as group head of special assets and restructurings at ADCB, will join Rothschild Middle East and assume the position of vice-chairman for debt advisory and restructuring
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business leadership
Leadership assessments for Middle East executives: Why now?
Executive advisory experts Egon Zehnder have created assessment methodologies which could help companies find the best talent
fintech startups
Saudi Riyadh Angel Investors in talks to finalise two start-up investment deals
The new talks come on the heels of RAI closing an investment agreement with Saudi fintech start-up Wafeer
coronavirus guidelines
Saudi opens borders for citizens after long coronavirus lockdown
Saudi citizens who have received two vaccination shots, or one shot at least two weeks prior to travel, those who have recovered from coronavirus within the last six months and those who are under 18 years old will be allowed to travel
Arabian Travel Market
Launching direct flights from Bahrain to China a ‘priority’ for Gulf Air
Zayed R Alzayani, chairman of Gulf Air and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism to the Kingdom of Bahrain, was addressing the China Tourism Forum at Arabian Travel Market
food delivery business
First Saudi tech start-up that could go public picks HSBC for IPO
Jahez International Company for Information Technology picked HSBC Saudi Arabia as the sole financial adviser and global coordinator for its potential IPO on Nomu
Arabian Travel Market
Global Covid-19 vaccination key to tourism industry recovery
Dr. Taleb Rifai, chairman ITIC and former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, warned countries must work together to return industry to former glory
covid-19
Full Covid-19 vaccination for visitors not part of Expo 2020 Dubai plans
Organisers are confident Expo site will be one of the most vaccinated and safest environments for participants and visitors alike
air travel
Demand for this year’s Expo 2020 Dubai is ‘100% there’
Over 2,500 online travel agents, tour operators, hotel groups and airlines have signed up as authorised ticket resellers for six-month event
Arabian Travel Market
Dubai can expect Covid-19 restrictions to ease further in ‘near future’
Speaking at Arabian Travel Market, Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said: “We can expect to see further easing of restrictions in Dubai in the near future”
Arabian Travel Market
Rotana to deepen presence in Saudi, Bahrain, Qatar with new hotels
Ten new openings are planned for the next three years as the group continues to recover from the downturn caused by coronavirus
Arabian Travel Market
Ras Al Khaimah will invest AED500 million in sustainable tourism
The new projects are in line with the emirate’s strategy to be the go-to destination for nature, leisure, adventure, accessibility and authenticity
mental wellbeing
The role you play in combatting toxic work culture
Individuals have the power to change the toxic work environments they may find themselves in
Arabian Travel Market
Abu Dhabi will lift quarantine rules for foreign travellers July 1
The emirate currently requires individuals to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival unless they arrive from a country on the green list, which consists of 22 countries
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Arabian Travel Market
Over 2,500 companies sign on as Expo 2020 Dubai ticket resellers
Authorised ticket resellers will offer a range of travel packages based on budgets and preferences
business ideas
Fincasa inks deal with IMT Business School Dubai to expand UAE start-up ecosystem
The agreement will help fund business ideas of students of IMT Business School and turn them into successful start-ups with the support of Fincasa
adnoc digitalisation
Digital technology is only as smart as you are
While digital transformation is ‘on trend’, it serves no purpose without a well-studied strategy as its foundation