Dubai Lifestyle News
Dubai Festival City Mall continues to grow
The recent growth seen at the Dubai Festival City Mall is indicative of the wider expansion of the emirate's retail sector.Numerous studies have confirmed that Dubai is still one of the leading shopping hotspots on the planet and with new record-breaking malls in the pipeline, this looks certain to be a long-term trend.Dubai Festival City Mall is one of the Middle East's leading retail and lifestyle facilities and it has already opened another eight outlets so far this year.Italian concept store Cioccolatitaliani has moved into the mall and has been joined by a number of clothing retailers, including Rockport, Vince Camuto and Stadium.Plans are also in motion to add even more outlets in the centre over the coming months, with Mothercare, Boots and luxury international designer Elie Tahari all taking up residency in the complex.Viewers of hit British TV show The Apprentice saw just how diverse Dubai's retail offerings are during a special episode last night (May 28th). The 12 remaining contestants were told to buy eight obscure items from merchants in the city and the programme allowed people in the UK to see the stark differences between the emirate's wonderful, rustic souks and the ultra-modern malls.Dubai is renowned for embracing cutting edge technology and this is evident in the city's malls.Earlier this month, reports confirmed that shoppers in the Wafi mall will soon be able to take advantage of a hi-tech loyalty programme, which is designed to allow consumers to obtain points wirelessly.The scheme – which uses near field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth technology – also gives shoppers an opportunity to receive instant notification of special offers and discounts in nearby stores.”We believe the technology delivers a win-win situation for both merchants and consumers,” commented Souffiane Houti, founder and chief executive officer of ViaFone Technologies – the company behind the initiative.With so many exciting developments being unveiled, it is certainly a good time for investors to take advantage of the UAE's thriving retail industry. Continue reading
Arsenal trio visit Emirates Aviation College
Three Premier League footballers were given a special challenge when they visited the impressive Emirates Aviation College in Dubai.Arsenal trio Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were asked to land one of the airline's huge A380 planes at Dubai International Airport.Of course, the talented youngsters were not tasked with landing an actual plane, but they did take to the cockpit of an incredibly realistic flight simulator.Emirates' chief A380 instructor Warren Coles was on hand to guide the footballers through the mock descent into the second busiest airport on earth and it was Oxlade-Chamberlain who was first to take control.The 19-year-old England striker managed to bring the plane down smoothly, although his teammate Gibbs was not quite so astute.”I don't think I'll be a pilot anytime soon,” the fullback remarked after a somewhat hairy landing.His effort was still better than Jenkinson's, who managed to bounce the A380 down the runway after getting a little carried away.”I was more excited to be honest going in there, but then, when I was actually in the seat, I was yeah quite nervous to be honest,” the 21-year-old former Charlton Athletic defender commented.Arsenal have a sponsorship agreement with Emirates and the three stars also held a special training session at a soccer school during their stay in Dubai.Emirates is one of the fastest growing airlines on earth and the firm recently unveiled a brand new training centre at the Dubai Silicon Oasis.The state-of-the-art facility was launched by the company's chairman and chief executive His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the event was attended by customers and officials from all over the world.It is the latest joint venture between Emirates and flight simulator specialist CAE, who have been working together for a decade. The two organisations have invested a total of US$260 million (£172.7 million) in the region to date and the partnership is really blossoming. Continue reading
Dubai gears up for Fina World Junior Swimming Championships
The countdown is on to the Fina World Junior Swimming Championships, which will take place in Dubai between August 26th and 31st 2013.Speaking to the Khaleej Times, president of the UAE Swimming Association and head of the organising committee Ahmed Al Falasi suggested this year's event will be bigger and better than ever.”Now, we will set a new record. In the last edition, Fina had only 58 countries and 528 swimmers. We've reached 85, with 432 male and 365 female swimmers, along with 236 officials. We still expect five or six other countries to join the tournament too,” he was quoted as saying.This will be the fourth time the competition has been held, with previous versions being staged in Brazil, Mexico and Peru.The fact that such a prestigious event is taking place in the UAE is once again testament to the nation's growing status as a global sporting hub.Some of the most talented up-and-coming swimmers will compete at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex – a state-of-the-art venue that cost a staggering AED 1.1 billion (£199.5 million).It is certainly one of the finest sporting arenas in the Middle East and can accommodate 15,000 spectators.The Olympic-standard venue has already staged a number of high-profile events, including the Tenth Fina World Swimming Championships 2012 and Fina/Midea Diving World Series since 2012. It has also held the Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup Legs since 2011.Understandably, the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) is very proud of the facility and its ultra-modern architecture means the building fits in seamlessly with the other magnificent structures dotted across the city.DSC secretary general Dr Ahmed Al Sharif told the news provider the competition will add extra value to the events that have previously taken place in the emirate.He added that there has been a “huge development” in swimming in the UAE since 2011 and the people of Dubai now have greater awareness about such tournaments. Continue reading
