When the weather cools in the UAE, it’s time to make the most of the country’s natural playground – its sprawling desert.
And one of the best ways to do that is by packing up for the night and heading out for a camping trip under the stars.
But for outdoor novices, finding the best spots to camp and getting hold of all the equipment can be a bit of a headache, but a new outdoor company in the UAE aims to do all the hard work for you.
Campr vows to take the hassle out of camping by supplying you with all the equipment – all you need to do is pack your own food, drink and bedding, and turn up.
The company will also surprise you with the location. Users just need to select the emirate along with their terrain preference – beach, desert, mountain or wadi.
The team will head to the secret location in advance to set up everything needed for a comfortable night in the great outdoors, including the tent, blow-up bed, shower facility and cooking equipment.
And if you are looking for an extra cosy experience, you can choose to add on traditional majlis seating and Arabic lanterns for a fee.
Christine Vorster set up Campr earlier this year. Courtesy Campr
The company was founded by Christine Vorster who, after five years of living in the UAE, wanted to find a fuss-free way to introduce camping to the masses.
“I love the outdoors, but there’s always the stick of packing up all the camping equipment and dealing with things like deflating mattresses,” she says. “So I decided that I needed to come up with a solution.”
Vorster started to work on the idea in January of this year, and when the pandemic hit, she spent months at home finalising plans for Campr to launch in time for the UAE’s winter season.
“The idea behind Campr is to make things as simple as possible for people,” she says. “If, in the spur of the moment, you decide you fancy going on a camping trip, you can literally just pack your bedding and your food and go off on an adventure. Everything else you need, even down to the last details of washing-up liquid, is there waiting for you.”
Vorster says she hopes the concept will appeal to the masses, but particularly to seasoned campers who no longer want to deal with packing up the car and setting everything up themselves, as well as younger people living in the UAE who might not have 4x4s or feel confident in finding the best camping spots.
“We are permanently outdoors searching for awesome spots,” she says. “The idea is to find somewhere that is accessible for people, but also not somewhere that is very well known and will be secluded. To the best of our ability, we try and provide an experience where it is just you, which is why we will keep the spots a secret until a booking is made.”
The team at Campr send guests the co-ordinates, as well as parking information once a booking is made. So far, Campr has secret locations in Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khamiah. For camping in Ras Al Khamiahand Sharjah, there will be an additional travel fee for the transportation of the equipment.
Campr is currently offering tents and trailers for groups of two and four, and has plans to accommodate larger groups post-pandemic.
“The response so far has been unbelievable,” says Vorster. “We launched two weeks ago on social media and we are already fully booked for weekends until the first week of December. We are in awe.”
For two people, prices start at Dh950. More information is at campr.ae
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
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.”
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
How to turn your property into a holiday home
Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
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.
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.
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.
