• Cabin-style lodging at Qatar 2022 World Cup fan villages is now available, with prices currently starting at $207 per night. All photos: Qatar Accommodation Agency 2022
    Cabin-style lodging at Qatar 2022 World Cup fan villages is now available, with prices currently starting at $207 per night. All photos: Qatar Accommodation Agency 2022
  • Cabins feature basic kitchen facilities, a bathroom and twin beds or one double.
    Cabins feature basic kitchen facilities, a bathroom and twin beds or one double.
  • The basic lodgings are seen as an affordable alternative to extremely expensive hotels and Airbnb-style room rentals.
    The basic lodgings are seen as an affordable alternative to extremely expensive hotels and Airbnb-style room rentals.
  • The cabins are located in three camps to the south, west and far north of Doha.
    The cabins are located in three camps to the south, west and far north of Doha.
  • World Cup organisers say shuttles will take fans to central Doha and the stadia.
    World Cup organisers say shuttles will take fans to central Doha and the stadia.
  • Other alternatives include cruise-ship cabins, for which prices start at about $350.
    Other alternatives include cruise-ship cabins, for which prices start at about $350.

World Cup 2022: Qatar unveils desert camp accommodation from $200 per night


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Qatar's World Cup organisers have unveiled camps in the desert for football fans from across the globe.

A live portal on Monday showed booking was available for prefabricated cabins in special 'fan villages' in three locations.

The cost of a two-person cabin starts at $207, with two single beds or one double on offer. They feature a bathroom, fridge, Wi-Fi and housekeeping, with restaurants and takeaways available in the village.

The camps, in Zafaran, Ras Bu Fontas and Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, are outside the city.

"Fan villages are located on the outskirts of Doha but are still accessible via public transport or rideshares, keeping you in easy reach of all of popular cultural attractions, as well as Fifa World Cup stadiums and activations," Qatar's Accommodation Agency said.

The camps have been billed as a low-cost alternative to hotels and Airbnb accommodation, which have been quickly snapped up by major sponsors, broadcasters and thousands of foreign officials.

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The total price of a stay for two people throughout the full tournament could amount to $5,598, the portal shows, though few travelling fans are expect to stay for more than a few days.

Zafaran is the farthest from Doha International Airport to the far north, outside Lusail City, where Qatar's government built a complex from scratch for the World Cup.

Ras Bu Fontas is to south of the city, behind the airport and close to the Gulf coast. It has a stop on Doha's main metro line.

Rawdat Al Jahhaniya is to the west of Doha towards the desert. It is a 20-minute drive from the Corniche, but close to an hour on a public bus.

Last month, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he expects Abu Dhabi and Dubai to be among the Gulf cities to score a tourism boost as some fans stay there and fly into Doha for matches.

Fans with tickets struggle to find accommodation

Tickets for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are some of the most sought after in the tournament’s history, with 804,186 allocated in the first round of applications from 17 million requests.

A second sales window closed on April 28 at noon.

In total, slightly more than 3 million tickets were made available, but 1 million have been reserved for Fifa and its partners.

England fan Laura Roxburgh, who lives in Dubai, had high hopes of attending her second World Cup, but problems booking accommodation and flights have left her struggling to plan her trip.

“Most places are a three-night minimum stay for accommodation on the accredited Fifa site, other options are on cruise ships but they are expensive too – a cabin with no windows for around $350 a night,” she said.

  • The 974 Stadium, which will host matches during the World Cup in Qatar. All photos: Getty
    The 974 Stadium, which will host matches during the World Cup in Qatar. All photos: Getty
  • Nine hundred and seventy-four shipping containers have been used in the construction of the 974 Stadium.
    Nine hundred and seventy-four shipping containers have been used in the construction of the 974 Stadium.
  • Seven matches will be played there.
    Seven matches will be played there.
  • The concourse of the 974 Stadium, where shipping containers have been used in the construction.
    The concourse of the 974 Stadium, where shipping containers have been used in the construction.
  • Inside the empty stadium, where the cheers of fans will soon ring out.
    Inside the empty stadium, where the cheers of fans will soon ring out.
  • Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is another Qatar venue for teams to battle it out on the pitch.
    Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is another Qatar venue for teams to battle it out on the pitch.
  • It will also host seven World Cup matches.
    It will also host seven World Cup matches.
  • Seats waiting to be filled with cheering supporters at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Doha.
    Seats waiting to be filled with cheering supporters at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Doha.
  • The Education City Stadium in Qatar.
    The Education City Stadium in Qatar.

“Apartment blocks show availability but it is hard to know where they are, how safe they are and if they are even completed – even those rooms are costing $450 a night.

“I haven’t booked anywhere yet as I don’t want to rush into book to stay in an area I don’t know.”

Ms Roxburgh, a PE teacher in Dubai, secured a semi-final ticket in the ballot, along with four friends, for $500 each.

So far, she said the process has been a lot more complicated and considerably more expensive than her trip to Russia for the World Cup in 2018.

"The flight prices are astronomical, around £800 [$1,000] for a return flight from Dubai to Doha seems to be the average, so we are thinking of driving,” said Ms Roxburgh, who has been in the UAE for six years.

“In Russia, I got semi-final tickets for England v Croatia after they came up on the resale market and got an indirect flight from Manchester to Moscow and it was easy to get accommodation.

“Here, we are just 40 minutes away and it is proving very difficult to book anything that is affordable."

A three-night stay on an MSC cruise ship to catch the opening games from November 21 will cost $347 per person, per night.

The MSC World Europa cruise ship hotel is a new vessel, with six swimming pools, 14 ocean-view Jacuzzis and a Balinese-style wellness centre. It also has 13 restaurants on board.

The ship will be moored at Doha's Grand Terminal, only a few minutes away from tourist spots such as Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art by shuttle bus.

Hotels are likely to be allocated to qualified teams before they are advertised for paying supporters, as many are already booked out for the tournament's duration.

Airbnb accommodation is another option for fans, although prices more than quadruple from the start to the end of the tournament.

A three-bed town house with marina views in the Pearl Quarter is currently available for $147 a night - but during the first week of the World Cup in November, such apartments are advertised for $1,600 a night.

A Hayya card gives fans in possession of a match ticket a visa to enter Qatar, stadium access and free public transport. But to register, they need to provide their accommodation details.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO

Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren

Favourite travel destination: Switzerland

Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers

Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Game is on BeIN Sports

How to turn your property into a holiday home
  1. Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
  2. Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
  3. Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
  4. Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
  5. Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

EA Sports FC 25
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Updated: May 03, 2022, 5:43 AM