Tag Archives: construction
RAK International Airport attracts news airlines
Bosses at Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) International Airport are hoping to “significantly increase” the number of airlines operating from the facility in 2013.The northern emirate has become increasingly popular in recent years, with many tourists finding it to be a quieter alternative to Dubai and so the demand for flights has soared.RAK International has now signed up a number of European airlines, which will start providing services to the region later this year.The airport clearly sees Europe as a key market and it recently exhibited at the Routes Expo in Budapest. It is also planning to take part in the Routes Africa gathering and World Routes Forum in Las Vegas later this year.A statement from the airport read: “With a few airlines already committed to bringing in their tourists this year, the airport is expecting to significantly increase its passenger and airline numbers in 2013.”Meanwhile, chief executive officer at RAK International Airport Andrew Gower underlined the emirate's burgeoning status as a corporate and leisure hub.”RAK has a lot to offer both business and tourist. With 25 per cent year on year growth for the airport, we are gearing ourselves for further growth in coming years,” he commented.The airport was first inaugurated in 1976 and has registered steady growth in passenger and cargo volumes ever since.Plans have been drawn up to upgrade the main airport terminal and it is hoped that more travellers will head for RAK rather than Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the near future.Earlier this year, members of the RAK Tourism Development Authority (TDA) said they had been working hard to market the emirate as an exclusive adventure holiday destination and are hopeful that 1.2 million people will visit the city in 2013. Promotional campaigns in Germany and Russia have gone particularly well.Victor Louis, chief operating officer at RAK TDA, also set an ambitious target of having more than 10,000 hotel and resort rooms available by the end of the year. Continue reading
Sufouh Tram test run held in France
Sufouh Tram test run held in France Staff Reporter / 19 June 2013 Trials of Al Sufouh Tram to be operated in Dubai were held in France on a 700-km-long test track. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), watched the technical test in the facilities of Alstom Company in France. During the trial run, which was done at various speeds, tests on the safety system, electric propulsion of the coaches, braking system, sudden stops during emergencies, ground power feed of the track, overhead power feed and doors operation mechanism were conducted, according to a release from the RTA. “This test run is a milestone in the implementation of Al Sufouh Tramway Project, which is being planned, designed and constructed in conformity with the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, calling for the provision of a sophisticated transit system to serve Jumeirah Beach Residence, Marina and Al Safouh neighbourhoods,” said Al Tayer. Al Sufouh Tram is considered the first of its kind outside Europe fed by ground power cables and the coaches will be shipped to Dubai from December. The RTA will commission other tests at the track site and these tests will continue till the official launch of the tram service in November 2014. The tram system is 14.6km long and runs along Al Sufouh Road, and the initial phase of the project envisages the construction of a 10.6-km-long track starting from the Dubai Marina and stretching up to the Tram Depot near the Dubai Police Academy. There will be 17 passenger stations, 11 of which with 11 trams are covered in the first phase, and 14 trams in phase II. The trams are expected to carry about 27,000 riders per day at the start of operations in 2014, and the ridership is bound to pick up to hit 66,000 per day by 2020. Each tram measures 44 metres in length and can carry 300 people with First Class (Gold Suite) and one cabin designated for ladies and children as well as a Silver Class cabin. The tram’s carriages and stations will have deluxe interior finishings, and feature state-of-the-art technologies in the transmission and display of entertainment materials. In the stations, the passenger lounge will span 44 metres and is set to be equipped with automatic fare collection systems. The practice test was also watched by Adnan Al Hammadi, CEO of Rail Agency; Abdul Rida Abu Al Hassan, Director of Rail Planning & Development Projects; Dr Khalid Hamdi, Projects Advisor of the Chairman of the Board & Executive Director; Dr Kamal Adeer, Systems Manager at the Rail Agency; Mohammed Amiri, Manager of Rail Coaches Maintenance; Ali Lootah, Senior Engineer; and a host of executives from Alstom. – news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Why Dubai’s Hotel Classification Scheme is so important
A senior figure at Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has explained why a new Hotel Classification Scheme could be so important to the city's hospitality sector.Majid Al Marri told Hoteliermiddleeast.com the system will give people a better idea about the quality of resorts across the region.Dubai is renowned for its multitude of glamorous hotels and it seems that more investors are now pouring money into the emirate's hospitality sector.Like many other parts of the world, Dubai was badly affected by the economic downturn and some developers were forced to shelve plans to build new hotels in the sheikhdom.However, many of these projects have been resurrected in the last 12 months and there are some impressive structures starting to emerge in popular areas like Dubai Marina and the Palm Jumeirah. Mr Al Marri said the Hotel Classification Scheme introduces new categories for university campuses and hostels, while also providing a new buffer between standard and luxury accommodation.”We found there was a gap in this area, which is why there is also a new category for serviced apartments,” he was quoted as saying.The law was first introduced in 1998 and this latest update is aimed at increasing transparency across the sector, thus allowing visitors to see which resorts offer the best facilities.Mr Al Marri said there are 18 new “designators” – including optional extras like rooms with a sea view or spa and wellness services – which hotels can add to their rating.This, he added, will help hotels to market themselves and will ultimately aid the DTCM in its quest to attract 20 million tourists to the city annually by 2020.It is certainly a good time for investors to add Dubai-based hotels, apartments and villas to their property portfolios, as the demand for accommodation in the emirate has soared in recent months.In fact, Mastercard recently hailed Dubai as a “city to watch” in the coming years, with more and more people expected to take a holiday in the city in the near future. Continue reading
