Tag Archives: exclusive
RAK International Airport profits are encouraging
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) International Airport continues to grow in stature, with bosses at the facility reporting a 31 per cent year-on-year upturn in revenue in the first quarter of 2013.More and more people are visiting the northern emirate, with aircraft movements rising by 42 per cent in the first three months of the year.RAK is steadily establishing itself as an attractive holiday destination and is also appealing to property investors who are focusing on up-and-coming areas.Chief executive of RAK International Airport Andrew Gower was understandably very pleased with the latest performance figures and he feels the hard work that has gone into luring passengers to the northern emirate is starting to bear fruit.”With RAK being the northern gateway to the UAE and just 45 minutes from Dubai via road, RAK International Airport is able to provide tourists and visitors an alternate and faster approach to the country due to its relatively free skies and faster immigration check-in and checkout,” he remarked.Being so close to Dubai – which is one of the most modern and fastest-growing cities on earth – undoubtedly works in RAK's favour.While it may seem like the two areas are in direct competition, RAK ultimately benefits from having such close ties with Dubai – a point backed up by recent studies that show RAK hotel owners are reporting rising occupancy rates.According to the National, Hilton is set to add 600 rooms in RAK this year and it is certainly not the only international chain with plans to boost its presence in northern parts of the UAE.Leaders at RAK Airways also announced that 250,000 people visited the emirate in the first quarter of 2013, which is a sharp upturn on previous years and offers further proof that RAK is starting to flourish.RAK International first opened in 1976 and underwent a major expansion in 2007. If current trends persist, there is every chance the airport's capacity will be extended even further in the coming years. Continue reading
Dubai Municipality keen to complete 10 unique projects
Senior figures at the Dubai Municipality are keen to get the majority of ten major projects completed by the end of next year.Director general of the organisation Hussain Nassir Lootah hopes new initiatives like Dubai Safari and Dubai Frame will be open to the public as soon as possible.Altogether, the ten projects – which also includes souks, a new fish market and shopping complexes – will cost in the region of AED 883.5 million (£158.2 million) and have the potential to make a big difference to the city's tourism offerings.Dubai Safari alone is costing AED 150 million and it will be one of the finest wildlife parks in the Middle East, with all kinds of creatures being showcased at the complex. Dubai Frame, meanwhile, is a massive transparent structure that will be built in Zabeel Park at a cost of AED 120 million.Mr Lootah remarked: “The civic body is confident of accomplishing the two ambitious tourism projects, Dubai Safari and Dubai Frame, by the end of 2014, in addition to eight high-tech markets across the different areas of the emirate.”In addition to this, the Dubai Municipality is working on a Holy Quran Park and Maritime Museum, although these initiatives are still in their infancy.All of these new features will enhance Dubai's infrastructure, which is already among the best on the planet.There is so much for tourists to see and do and it seems that barely a week goes by without another impressive attraction opening in the city.A number of parks have been recognised by Guinness World Records, including the Dubai Miracle Garden – the largest natural flower garden on earth.Dubai welcomed a record number of foreign visitors next year and experts predict that 66 million people will travel into Dubai International Airport in 2013, with a sizeable proportion of these passengers being leisure travellers.With this in mind, it makes sense for investors to purchase hotels, villas and apartments in the city as soon as possible, as prices will continue to rise as more and more holidaymakers flood into the emirate. Continue reading
Major indoor sports event to take place in Dubai
A major event aimed at encouraging people in the UAE to take part in sporting activity during the summer months will go ahead next month.The third Dubai Sports World programme will commence at the huge Dubai World Trade Centre on June 21st and will last for two months.It will feature summer camps for children, giving them an opportunity to play games like football, basketball, rugby, tennis and Australian rules football. They can also partake in energetic pastimes like skateboarding, running and fitness training.Dubai's sporting facilities are among the best in the world and a host of professional football and cricket teams have made use of the various sports centres across the city in recent months. It is hoped that Dubai Sports World will open up these complexes to more local youngsters.Senior vice president of venues at the Dubai World Trade Centre Ahmed Alkhaja said: “We are pleased to offer new and exciting sports and entertainment for a third consecutive year.”Year on year, we continue to invest in state-of-the-art sports facilities and partnerships to offer a world-class sports arena for people of all ages.”The UAE is certainly building itself a strong reputation for staging major sporting events.It attracts the world's finest tennis players and golfers each year and is also home to the fabulous Meydan Racecourse, which holds the Dubai World Cup – the richest horse race on the planet.Fifa named the UAE as the host country for the 2013 Under-17s World Cup and this is scheduled to start in October.Football's governing body recently sent a team of delegates to the Middle East to check the progress of the stadia and training facilities that will be used throughout the tournament and they were happy with what they saw.The official mascot for the event – a falcon-type creature named Shaqran – was unveiled in the country earlier this week (May 13th) by Fifa and the local organising committee. Continue reading
