Tag Archives: dubai lifestyle news
Emirates secures shirt sponsorship deal with Real Madrid
Emirates – one of the fastest growing airlines in the world – has announced a massive shirt sponsorship deal with Spanish giants Real Madrid.The company, which has played a major part in helping Dubai International Airport to become the second busiest on the planet, confirmed that its logo will appear on the team's famous white shirts for the next five seasons.Indeed, some of the world's best players, including Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, Spanish defender Sergio Ramos and German international Mesut Ozil will have 'Fly Emirates' written on their chest during training sessions and when they play in matches.This is the latest in a long line of lucrative football sponsorship arrangements for Emirates, as it has already struck deals with Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain, Hamburg, Olympiacos and AC Milan.As part of the Real Madrid tie-up, the airline will benefit from more high-profile branding at the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.Emirates had already nurtured a strong relationship with the Madrid side, but chairman and chief executive of the organisation Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said this announcement takes the partnership “to a whole new level”.”Aligning ourselves with an international powerhouse like Real Madrid helps to amplify our brand message by creating more meaningful connections with sports fans around the world,” he remarked.”In this case, we are engaging with one of the largest fan-bases in the world.”There is no doubting Real Madrid's pedigree and they are undeniably the most successful club in Europe.Not only have they won 32 La Liga titles and 18 Spanish 'Copa del Rey' trophies, they have also lifted the European Cup on a record nine occasions.The club will remain under the spotlight in the coming months, as current coach Jose Mourinho looks set to leave and there has been plenty of debate about his successor, with Paris Saint Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti said to be one of the favourites.Madrid have also been heavily linked with a move for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez in the last few days.Regardless of what happens, there is little doubt that the link between Emirates and one of the biggest football clubs on earth will be great PR for Dubai. Continue reading
Mastercard study highlights strength of Dubai tourism
Dubai continues to attract more and more visitors and it is expected to become one of the world's top tourism destinations in the next few years.According to Mastercard's latest Global Destination Cities Index, there was a significant upturn in the number of people taking a holiday in the emirate in 2011 and 2012 and experts believe this trend will continue this year. Only Bangkok can rival Dubai when it comes to visitor growth.The purpose of the study is to rank cities all around the world based on their tourism potential and a number of factors are taken into account, such as international arrivals and the amount of money being spent by holidaymakers. The credit card firm also made predictions for the future.Bangkok was rated as the number one global destination, narrowly beating London, while Paris, Singapore, New York, Istanbul and Dubai were also ranked highly.Importantly, Mastercard included Dubai in its “cities to watch” category.”If all top ten destination cities maintain their current rates of growth in the next few years, then by 2016 Istanbul will surpass Singapore, New York and Paris in terms of international visitor arrivals; and Dubai will similarly surpass Singapore and New York in 2016 and Paris in 2017,” the report stated.With so many phenomenal hotels, shopping centres and other amenities – not to mention the beautiful beaches and desert climate – it is no surprise to see Dubai featuring at the top end of such a prestigious list.Dubai International Airport is now the second busiest on the planet and recent figures highlighted just how quickly the aviation facility is growing.Indeed, Dubai Airports confirmed that nearly 5.5 million passengers flew into the airport in April alone, which was an 18.7 per cent improvement when compared to the corresponding month in 2012.Dubai is also attracting more and more cruise passengers, with major international liners making the city an integral part of their itinerary. Continue reading
Michel Salgado to speak at Dubai event
Former Real Madrid and Spain star Michel Salgado will be one of the guest speakers at the Dubai International Football Academies Forum this weekend (June 1st and 2nd).The ex-fullback – who ended his illustrious career in the 2011/12 season while playing for Blackburn Rovers – will be joined by Uefa official Ioan Lupescu and Fifa representative Jean Michel Benezet on the opening day of the event.They will talk about how both football governing bodies plan to boost the development of young players in the future.Although the UAE is not renowned for being a footballing hotbed, the game is undoubtedly becoming more popular in this part of the world.Salgado, aged 37, has been living in Dubai for a few months and he is certainly well placed to offer advice on how the game should be played.The rightback amassed 53 caps for Spain between 1998 and 2006 and won a plethora of trophies throughout his career, particularly during his stint at Real Madrid.Indeed, Salgado lifted the La Liga title four times and he also won the Spanish Cup on three occasions. In addition to this, the dependable defender scooped the Uefa Champions League trophy in 2000 and 2002.This is the second time the Dubai International Football Academies Forum is being held and Salgado is not the only famous face being lined up to appear at the event.Argentine legend Diego Maradona – who is currently working as an ambassador for the Dubai Sports Council – will talk about how to succeed in football, while ex-England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will also be on hand to tell the audience just how important it is to get the basics of the sport right.Eriksson has had a glittering managerial career to date and the Swede has landed numerous honours – most notably with Italian club Lazio in the late 1990s/early 2000s. He is now employed as a technical director at UAE-based club Al Nasr. Continue reading
