In a year when international travel has been vastly off-limits, people have been left with more time than ever to think about their bucket lists and dream destinations.
According to new data, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, is the most searched bucket list travel experience, with an average of 10,000 monthly searches for 'Burj Khalifa tickets'.
"The most searched bucket list travel experience is a trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai," data from Unforgettable Travel reads. "Being able to host up to 35,000 people at once, the world's tallest freestanding structure is often referred to as a Vertical City."
Sailing around New York's Statue of Liberty comes in second, with 9,300 global monthly searches, followed by trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal, with 9,000 searches. On fourth place is cruising down the Nile river in Egypt and going to the top of Paris's Eiffel Tower, both with with 7,900 searches.
Top 20 most searched travel bucket list experiences:
1. Visit the tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai – 10,000 global monthly searches
2. Sail around New York's Statue of Liberty – 9,300 global monthly searches
3. Trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal – 9,000 global monthly searches
4. Cruise down Egypt's river Nile – 7,900 global monthly searches
4. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris – 7,900 global monthly searches
6. Walk the Las Vegas Strip – 7,400 global monthly searches
6. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco – 7,400 global monthly searches
8. Go to the top of the Empire State Building – 6,500 global monthly searches
9. Visit Louvre Museum in Paris, France – 6,400
9. Visit Rome's Colosseum, in Italy – 6,400
11. See the Grand Canyon from a helicopter – 5,700 global monthly searches
12. Take an American road trip down the famous Route 66 – 5,100 global monthly searches
13. Attend Glastonbury Festival, England – 4,600 global monthly searches
14. Attend Coachella Festival, California – 4,300 global monthly searches
15. Go clubbing in Ibiza, Spain – 4,200 global monthly searches
16. Ride the Orient Express train – 4,100 global monthly searches
17. See Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, Spain – 3,900 global monthly searches
18. See the Taj Mahal, India – 3,600 global monthly searches
18. Hike to the top of Machu Picchu, Peru – 3,600 global monthly searches
20. Visiting the Great Barrier Reef, Australia – 3,400 global monthly searches
Sky-high adventures, concerts and natural wonders
The Burj Khalifa isn't the only height-defying landmark on the list. A trip to the top of the Empire State Building in New York and seeing the Grand Canyon from a helicopter in Arizona both make the top 20.
There are a number of cultural experiences also on the list, including visiting Paris's Louvre Museum, Rome's Colosseum, Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and India's Taj Mahal.
For music lovers, there are a number of bucket-list activities, with a weekend at England's Glastonbury Festival coming out on top, followed by California's Coachella Festival, clubbing in Spain and a trip down the Las Vegas strip, to soak up the sights and sounds.
Adrenalin junkies are not forgotten, with a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal and hiking to the top of Machu Picchu, Peru, both included. And a number of boat-based activities also feature besides cruising the river Nile in Egypt, including sailing around New York's Statue of Liberty and seeing the natural beauty of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
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6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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.”
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
MATCH INFO
Pakistan 106-8 (20 ovs)
Iftikhar 45, Richardson 3-18
Australia 109-0 (11.5 ovs)
Warner 48 no, Finch 52 no
Australia win series 2-0
