The world's longest zip-line at Toroverde Adventure Park on Jebel Jais has reopened, but in-flight face masks are mandatory. Courtesy RAK Tourism
The world's longest zip-line at Toroverde Adventure Park on Jebel Jais has reopened, but in-flight face masks are mandatory. Courtesy RAK Tourism
The world's longest zip-line at Toroverde Adventure Park on Jebel Jais has reopened, but in-flight face masks are mandatory. Courtesy RAK Tourism
The world's longest zip-line at Toroverde Adventure Park on Jebel Jais has reopened, but in-flight face masks are mandatory. Courtesy RAK Tourism

Ras Al Khaimah's zip line reopens with new safety rules after a two-month closure

Toroverde Adventure park on Jebel Jais has reopened, but prior booking and face masks even mid-flight, are essential

Hayley Skirka
Hayley Skirka

May 21, 2020

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Home to the world's longest zip-line, Toroverde Adventure Park in Ras Al Khaimah has reopened to adventure seekers.

Staff returned to the park yesterday when bookings opened for the Jebel Jais flight, the Jais Sky Maze and the Sky Tour zip-line experiences.

All reservations must be made in advance as the park is operating at 30 per cent capacity.

Face masks are compulsory for all guests. These must remain on during all activities, which might prove a little challenging on the Jebel Jais flight where zip-liners can reach speeds of up to 120kph (but the wind force is front on, which should keep the mask in place).

Prior booking is now essential for all activities at Toroverde Adventure Park in Ras Al Khaimah
Prior booking is now essential for all activities at Toroverde Adventure Park in Ras Al Khaimah

The Jais Sky Maze is an obstacle course filled with wobbly bridges, swinging hoops and ropes, and guests will need to make sure they keep two metres apart as they navigate it.

The same rules apply on the Jais Sky Tour, which sees visitors go from platform to platform across seven different zip lines around the UAE's highest mountain.

Throughout Ramadan and Eid, the park is open daily from 9am until 1pm, with hours set to change from 10am until 5pm after the Eid holiday.

Shuttle services at the park will transport a maximum of four guests at one time, and all visitors and staff will be routinely temperature checked.

There are enhanced sanisitation procedures in place and all activity harnesses will be kept aside and not used again for 24 hours after each use.

As well as advising adventure seekers to keep their distance in the park, the operators advise children and seniors to stay home during this time.

The adventure park closed on March 25 in line with UAE government advisories. It was due to reopen on April 2, but the shutdown was further extended until Tuesday, May 19.

Rates for the Jebel Jais flights start from Dh300 per ride and slots can be booked via the Toroverde website.

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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.”

Ras Al KhaimahUAE GovernmentRamadan 2026