• Ain Dubai will open to the public on October 21. Pawan Singh / The National
    Ain Dubai will open to the public on October 21. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The reception hall of Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    The reception hall of Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • An external view of an Ain Dubai cabin, one of 48. Pawan Singh / The National
    An external view of an Ain Dubai cabin, one of 48. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Visitors watch as the Ain Dubai cabins sweep into view. Pawan Singh / The National
    Visitors watch as the Ain Dubai cabins sweep into view. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The entrance to Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    The entrance to Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Ron Drake, general manager of Ain Dubai, believes the attraction will 'eclipse anything that’s come before it'. Pawan Singh / The National
    Ron Drake, general manager of Ain Dubai, believes the attraction will 'eclipse anything that’s come before it'. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A view of the Address Beach Resort from an Ain Dubai pod. Pawan Singh / The National
    A view of the Address Beach Resort from an Ain Dubai pod. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A cabin at the end of one of Ain Dubai's spokes. Pawan Singh / The National
    A cabin at the end of one of Ain Dubai's spokes. Pawan Singh / The National
  • One of the surprisingly spacious Ain Dubai cabins. Pawan Singh / The National
    One of the surprisingly spacious Ain Dubai cabins. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A visitor takes in the skyline from a cabin in Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A visitor takes in the skyline from a cabin in Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Dubai's spectacular coastline through the window of an Ain Dubai cabin. Pawan Singh / The National
    Dubai's spectacular coastline through the window of an Ain Dubai cabin. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The view of Ain Dubai from Bluewaters Island, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    The view of Ain Dubai from Bluewaters Island, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The Ain Dubai nighttime view is starkly different. Pawan Singh / The National
    The Ain Dubai nighttime view is starkly different. Pawan Singh / The National
  • The view from a premium cabin of Ain Dubai at night. Pawan Singh / The National
    The view from a premium cabin of Ain Dubai at night. Pawan Singh / The National
  • At night, visitors can admire the lights of Bluewaters Island and JBR from Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    At night, visitors can admire the lights of Bluewaters Island and JBR from Ain Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Before leaving the attraction, guests can pick up souvenirs from the gift shop. Pawan Singh / The National
    Before leaving the attraction, guests can pick up souvenirs from the gift shop. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Mugs, T-shirts, pens and keychains can be found at the Ain Dubai gift shop. Pawan Singh / The National
    Mugs, T-shirts, pens and keychains can be found at the Ain Dubai gift shop. Pawan Singh / The National

Lifestyle

Things to do

Ain Dubai to open to the public on October 21 with tickets now available to book

Prices start from Dh130 and a single rotation of the wheel takes 38 minutes

Janice Rodrigues
Janice Rodrigues

August 24, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

It’s been one of the UAE’s most anticipated launches of the year, and the wait is finally over.

Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel, has announced that it will be opening to the public on October 21.

Tickets for the attraction will cost from Dh130 for adults and Dh100 children, and can be purchased now from the Ain Dubai website.

“I believe Ain Dubai is going to eclipse anything that’s come before it,” says Ron Drake, general manager of Ain Dubai. “It’s a new way of entertainment for Dubai.”

A single rotation takes about 38 minutes, and gives guests 360-degree views of the Dubai skyline from luxe air-conditioned pods. But it’s the hospitality offerings that separate Ain Dubai from other similar attractions around the world, says Drake.

“We offer a full selection of 19 unique entertainment experiences. These are multilayered experiences we offer to our guests so they keep coming back for more. There are different views during the daytime of Bluewaters Island views and during the night-time, the beautiful LED Lights of the Dubai skyline.

“We have packages where you can customise everything from the music to the decor to the food to the lighting.”

Prices go up to Dh4,500 for a group of eight, for the more exclusive dining experiences. Ain Dubai will be open daily from noon to 10pm.

Visitors are advised to arrive 30 to 60 minutes ahead of time to complete the entry process, buy snacks and to use the toilets.

Food and drinks bought externally or from home will not be permitted on Ain Dubai, but visitors will be able to purchase items from the lounge or the concessions inside the cabins.

The attraction, located on Bluewaters Island, has already become a permanent part of the Dubai skyline. Standing 250-metres tall, the record-breaking structure is nearly twice the height of the London Eye. It houses 48 pods, with each having the capacity to accommodate up to 40 guests, although that number has been reduced owing to Covid-19 safety regulations.

Covid-19 safety regulations

Wearing masks will be mandatory within the cabins. Besides this, Ain Dubai will have precautionary measures including: providing disposable masks and hand sanitiser; an online ticketing system; physical barriers between guests and staff; contactless payment; electronic devices for ordering food and drinks in the lounge; a limited number of guests within each cabin; and regular disinfection of frequently touched areas.

More information on parking and the experiences can be found here

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BRAZIL SQUAD

Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).

Correspondents

By Tim Murphy

(Grove Press)

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.”

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

Liverpool's all-time goalscorers

Ian Rush 346
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Updated: August 25, 2021, 7:42 AM
DubaiUAE