London was the most popular destination for Arabian Gulf private jet users in the first four months of 2016, with a total of 222 trips, followed by Paris with 185 trips, according to Dubai's Private Jet Charter (PJC), one of the world's largest independent private jet charter brokers.
"The aviation industry in the Middle East is still not fully tapped. Increasingly, a large segment of businessmen and individuals are recognising the benefits of renting a private jet, exploding the myth that this service is exclusively available for high-profile personalities," said Hugh Courtenay, the founder and chief executive of PJC, which this week celebrated its 15th year in operation.
Gulf visitors to London seem tranquil despite the economic jitters back home, and are spending up to twice as much in some luxury shopping areas compared to a year ago, new data shows.
Cash tills are ringing in the so-called London Luxury Quarter – which covers the areas of Mayfair, Piccadilly and St James's – which saw a rise in big-ticket purchases by Gulf visitors in the year to January, according to Al Arabiya.
Global Blue, which operates one of the world's biggest tax-free shopping networks, tracks transactions and bulk information like the home countries and receipt amounts of purchasers whom have requested tax refunds.
Its data shows that visitors from the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar are among the top-five biggest tax-free spenders in the London
Luxury Quarter, even in the wake of the oil-price slump. Shoppers from the UAE spent an average of £1,783 (Dh9,472) per transaction in January – a 94 per cent year-on-year increase.
Figures for the UK as a whole show that tax-free spending by shoppers from Qatar rose by 35 per cent in the year to February, with an average spend per transaction of £1,346. Visitors from the UAE and Kuwait also shopped more – although those from Saudi Arabia spent 28 per cent less compared with last year.
Private Jet Charter manages a global network that has access to an inventory of approximately 5,000 aircraft. The company, which has a sizable market share in Europe and the Middle East, supplies aircraft such as the Boeing Business Jet, Bombardier Global Express, Falcon 7X, Bombardier Challenger 605 among others, said Hugh Courtenay, the founder and chief executive, PJC.
PJC said it can offer customised concepts to clients. For example, the company leverages on the "empty Leg" flights, which can occur when a private jet is booked for only one leg or direction.
"The weak pound has allowed for an increased spending power of shoppers in London," said Kim Urbaniak, the marketing manager at Global Blue UK.
"Gulf tourists have been key spenders within hospitality and shopping for many years in London," Ms Urbaniak added. "[Middle Eastern shoppers] have gained further prestige as … Russian spenders continue to decline, and have now fallen out of the top 10."
Knightsbridge – the home to the luxury department store Harrods – and the boutiques of nearby Sloane Street are key shopping areas for Middle Eastern visitors, Ms Urbaniak said.
"On Sloane Street more than 31 per cent of the total tax-free spend comes from Middle East countries," she said. Visitors to the street from the UAE are spending about 40 per cent more than a year ago, while those from Saudi Arabia spend the most overall.
While London is popular among Gulf travellers, retail spending is up across Europe as a whole, Global Blue data shows. Middle East visitors spent 17 per cent more on tax-free shopping trips to the continent in the year to January, Urbaniak said.
"Middle East outbound traveller numbers are increasing, driven by the desire to travel and shop abroad," Ms Urbaniak added.
And it seems an increasing number are choosing to go shopping in private jets.
chnelson@thenational.ae
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
MEYDAN RESULTS
6.30pm Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer).
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Galaxy Road, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Al Modayar, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
Winner Lady Parma, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Zaajer, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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