Dubai continues to lead a global recovery in tourism and business events, the emirate's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) said.
During quarterly online meetings of its business events and exhibitions committees, Dubai Tourism provided industry stakeholders with updates on the pace of recovery in the business events sector since it resumed in September last year.
“Dubai has been able to lead the way globally not only in wider tourism recovery, but specifically in the restart of business events,” Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai Tourism, said.
“Thanks to the efforts of our stakeholders across the sector, the momentum we built at the end of 2020 has gathered pace this year, with strong optimism for the coming months to further leverage our status as one of the few cities globally to be safely hosting business events of all sizes.”
The UAE's hospitality and tourism industry’s recovery is expected to accelerate in 2021 driven by its Covid-19 vaccine push, the easing of travel restrictions in some markets, Expo 2020 Dubai in October, open borders and visa reforms.
Dubai hosted more than 810,000 international guests in the first two months of 2021 compared with 3.27 million visitors in January and February of 2020, before movement restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of the pandemic. The closure of borders in many markets meant the emirate had 5.51 million visitors last year, or a third of the number of visitors in 2019.
Despite this, hotels in the UAE were the world's second busiest after China in 2020, according to the Ministry of Economy.
Dubai, the region's finance, trade and tourism hub, is a global centre for hosting meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. The events industry globally has suffered due to travel restrictions, however, the emirate is safely reopening to host major international events.
As the countdown towards Expo 2020 Dubai continues, business events are playing a vital role in attracting more visitors and showcasing this as a safe city for international gatherings
“As the countdown towards Expo 2020 Dubai continues, business events are playing a vital role in attracting more visitors and showcasing this as a safe city for international gatherings, and also in recapturing economic growth across all economic sectors,” Mr Almarri said.
The online meetings are part of a series of events Dubai Tourism has hosted throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to keep stakeholders updated on the recovery and obtain their views on various issues.
Meeting participants were provided with updates on the events hosted in recent months, including Gulfood and Gitex, as well as some of the ongoing marketing efforts to raise awareness of Dubai as a host city for business events, the statement added.
Over the coming months, Dubai will host major events, including Arabian Travel Market, Arab Health, the International Astronautical Congress and the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, among others.
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
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Power: 480kW
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If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
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Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
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Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
