Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality & leisure business of Emaar Properties, has announced its expansion to South Asia with a hotel management contract to operate Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa, a picturesque beachfront resort set in a private island in the Indian Ocean, only 20 minutes by seaplane from Male International Airport.
The expansion to the Indian Ocean archipelago adds to the international growth of Emaar Hospitality Group, which now has 29 upcoming hotel projects in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and now Maldives. The Group currently has 11 operational hotels and three serviced residences in Dubai, its home-market.
Scheduled to be open in 2020, Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa will be the first-of-its-kind island hotel project by Address Hotels + Resorts, the premium lifestyle hotel and serviced residences brand of Emaar Hospitality Group.
A part of the 2.42 square kilometre Ethere Madivaru Private Island, owned by Adam Abdul Gafoor, the chairman of Finolhu Investment, Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa spans a total area of 75,000 sq m, with its design and contours defined by the vast coastline. The hotel project includes 80 beach and over-water villas including selected units for sale.
_______________
Read more:
UAE superyacht builder Gulf Craft says Maldives offers rich rewards
Don't look down! Emaar has plans for 200-metre high Sky Walk in Downtown Dubai
_______________
“We are delighted to welcome Emaar Hospitality Group’s Address brand to Maldives to manage our exceptional property that will complement our nation’s focus on tourism growth,' said Mr Gafoor. "Maldives has been the cornerstone of Indian Ocean tourism, and the government has announced visionary initiatives to drive the role of the private sector, including the long-term lease of islands for resort development. With a strong intake of Middle East visitors, Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa will appeal to visitors and investors from the region for holiday-homes and luxury stays in our country.”
Among the features of Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa are a dedicated Spa Island and Water Sports Island offering diving, surfing and a host of leisure pursuits, as well as water villas and presidential suites. Amenities such as floating restaurants and lounges, over-water fitness facilities, swimming pools, and children’s play areas are all thoughtfully designed to maximise the oceanfront location.
“One of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, Maldives is an ideal fit to our expansion plans to take our proven competencies in hospitality to newer geographies," said Olivier Harnisch, the chief executive of Emaar Hospitality Group. He said the firm and the developer Finolhu Investment will work closely in the design and development of the hotel project, with a focus on maximising its oceanfront location.
Finolhu Investment already has a strong footprint in the Maldivian tourism sector, especially through their cruise and yachting business. Mr. Gafoor has also been associated previously with hotel developments, and with Address Maldives in the Madivaru Island, he aims to create a legacy in the hospitality sector.
Emaar Group said Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa will be one of the closest from the international airport with most regional luxury resorts a flying time of 30 to 45 minutes away.
The Maldivian tourism industry recorded a growth in tourist arrivals of 4.2 per cent in 2016,1 buoyed by the Visit Maldives Year campaign, and reported a growth of 5.8 per cent from January to May 2017. 2, according to Emaar Group.
While Europe serves as the largest market with 44.7 per cent share in tourist numbers in 2016, visitors from the Middle East have grown from 1.5 per cent in 2009 to 4 per cent in 2016. Saudi Arabia was one of the top 10 source markets last year. The focus of the government on infrastructure development has benefited the tourism industry, and the completion of the international airport expansion next year is expected to further boost the sector. All major airlines in the UAE offer connectivity to Maldives.
Address Madivaru Maldives Resort + Spa is the 21st hotel project under Address Hotels + Resorts. The upcoming international projects under the brand are: Jabal Omar Address Makkah in Saudi Arabia; Address Marassi Golf Resort + Spa and Address Marassi Beach Resort in Egypt; Address Istanbul and Address Residences Emaar Square Istanbul in Turkey; and Address Marassi Al Bahrain.
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
For Euro 2024 qualifers away to Malta on June 16 and at home to North Macedonia on June 19:
Goalkeepers Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Dunk, Guehi, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Bellingham, Eze, Gallagher, Henderson, Maddison, Phillips, Rice.
Forwards Foden, Grealish, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Wilson.
Law 41.9.4 of men’s T20I playing conditions
The fielding side shall be ready to start each over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed.
An electronic clock will be displayed at the ground that counts down seconds from 60 to zero.
The clock is not required or, if already started, can be cancelled if:
• A new batter comes to the wicket between overs.
• An official drinks interval has been called.
• The umpires have approved the on field treatment of an injury to a batter or fielder.
• The time lost is for any circumstances beyond the control of the fielding side.
• The third umpire starts the clock either when the ball has become dead at the end of the previous over, or a review has been completed.
• The team gets two warnings if they are not ready to start overs after the clock reaches zero.
• On the third and any subsequent occasion in an innings, the bowler’s end umpire awards five runs.
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.
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
