Tag Archives: exclusive-dubai
Bill Clinton: Dubai is in a strong position to hold World Expo 2020
Former US president Bill Clinton has hailed the growth of the UAE and he believes that Dubai is in a strong position to host the World Expo 2020.Mr Clinton met with Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai – and the pair discussed a range of global issues.The ex-leader of the North American country reserved praise for the “cultural boom” that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, has witnessed in recent years.Speaking during an open session at Dubai's American University, he suggested that places that have recovered well from an economic downturn can sometimes get stronger in the long term.This is certainly the case in the UAE, as the country was badly affected by the global financial crisis, but it has turned things around in the last 12 months, with foreigners pouring into the city to secure new investments in property and other sectors.”That's what Dubai and the UAE represent and I think you are in a strong position to win the bid for Expo 2020 because Dubai's model of shared prosperity is more important today than ever and an inspiration to many countries in the Middle East,” Mr Clinton remarked.Government officials in the Gulf are desperate for Dubai to secure the rights to host the prestigious event in seven years' time, as they believe it will really put the emirate on the map.Dubai will go up against Ayutthaya (Thailand), Izmir (Turkey), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Ekaterinburg (Russia) in the race for the World Expo.Organisers of the emirate's bid pointed towards the huge impact that previous gatherings have had on the economy of the host city.They said the 2010 version in Shanghai helped to transform a “heavily-industrialised city centre area into a thriving cultural and commercial district”. The Expos are held once every five years and the next one will take place in Milan in 2015. Continue reading
Middle East is ripe for aviation investment
The Middle East has the most potential when it comes to aviation investment, a new survey has suggested.Conducted by Airport Show ahead of next month's inaugural Global Airport Leaders' Forum, the study sought to find out which parts of the world have the brightest future in air travel.It emerged that 64.4 per cent of the respondents felt the Middle East was the best place to invest, making the region an emphatic overall winner. The next most popular area was Asia-Pacific, which only amassed 16.7 per cent of the vote.Experts predict that US$90 billion (AED 330.5 billion) will be pumped into the Middle Eastern aviation sector by 2020 and up to 400 million passengers will fly into and out of this part of the world every year by this point.”Senior executives from across the international aviation industry have contributed to the survey and we believe the survey results will contribute significantly to the important discussions at the Global Airport Leaders' Forum and help highlight the key challenges and opportunities industry leaders face today,” commented Daniyal Qureshi, event director of the Airport Show.Unsurprisingly, Dubai is central to the Middle East's expansion plans and the city is expected to accommodate just under a quarter of the region's air traffic by the end of the decade.Dubai International Airport officially became the second-busiest aviation hub on the planet last month, behind only London's Heathrow.The facility has recently been expanded and has a capacity of 75 million passengers a year – up from 60 million in 2012.Around 66 million people are expected to use the complex in 2013 and this figure will go up and up as the years pass by.To help take some of the strain off the main airport, services will be launched at Dubai World Central Airport from October this year for the first time.The passenger terminal was finished in 2012 and it has room for up to seven million people each year. Continue reading
Fashion Forward event to take place in Dubai
The highly-anticipated Fashion Forward event is set to take place in Dubai later this month and organisers are hopeful that the show will enhance the city's status as hub for designer clothing.Held at the Madinat Jumeirah between April 26th and 29th, this is the first time the fashion extravaganza has been held in the UAE and it is set to become a bi-annual occasion.Chief executive officer and creative director of Fashion Forward Bong Guerrero said that 35 buyers have confirmed their attendance so far, tabloid! reports.”It's about time that this region gets a fashion platform such as this. This is an event which aims to provide a definitive movement to foster growth for designers in the Middle East,” he was quoted as saying.Some major international names are expected to head to the Gulf for the event, including New York-based Fashion Institute Of Technology, which has produced renowned brands such as Calvin Klein.A selection of the UAE's best designers like Essa, Ayesha Depala, Furne One and Michael Cinco will also be on hand to showcase their latest collections.Up to 18 different shows will go ahead throughout the four-day event and Mr Guerrero is hoping that some lesser-known designers will earn some recognition.”There's a lot of promising designers out there. This is our first season and it will be a true reflection of our Middle Eastern landscape,” he added.Although Dubai fashion events perhaps do not have the same appeal as major shows in New York, Paris and Milan, there is no doubt that the city is steadily emerging as a hotspot for designer apparel.The emirate has the biggest malls on the planet and it boasts a range of upmarket boutiques that are highly popular among the many celebrities who visit Dubai each year.A number of top brands have set up stores in the area and recent reports suggested that Abercrombie & Fitch will be the latest firm to target the Middle Eastern market. Continue reading
