Scotland will reopen many of its historic castles on August 1.
Edinburgh Castle, the country’s most-visited tourist attraction, will be among those welcoming visitors again next month.
After several months of closures, tourism in Scotland restarted on July 15, when hotels, national parks, restaurants and cafes were given the green light to reopen. Historic Environment Scotland is the organisation that looks after the majority of the country’s castles, and it will reopen three of its most famous properties next month.
Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital, Urquhart Castle in Inverness and Stirling Castle are all opening on Saturday, August 1.
Visitors keen to get back to exploring these historic monuments will need to book in advance, as tickets are being released in fortnightly rotations. Reservations can be made on the Historic Environment Scotland website, which the organisation jokes is preferable to booking via carrier pigeon or town crier.
Protecting ourselves might look a little different today to how it did when our castles were built, but it's still just as important
The organisation has also outlined some other rules in place at its ancient sites that are designed to keep visitors safe during the pandemic.
Physical distancing is being implemented and tourists are helpfully reminded to stay “at least as far away from each other as the average length of a fully grown unicorn” – Scotland’s national animal.
There are also cues for visitors to practise good hand hygiene. “Protecting ourselves might look a little different today to how it did when our castles were built, but it’s still just as important,” reads the website.
A "be kind" policy has also been implemented at all of Scotland's historic attractions, with visitors asked to give people space and be patient. "A suit of armour doesn't always mean there's going to be a battle. So let's not get carried away," states the website, referring to the obligatory face coverings sightseers will need to wear in some areas of the castles, as per Scottish Government rules.
Ancient castles and mythical creatures
Edinburgh Castle is by far one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks. Set on top of a volcano – don’t worry, it last erupted 340 million years ago – in the heart of the capital, the fortress welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors last year.
But Urquhart Castle is one of Scotland's most picturesque. Overlooking Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, the noble ruins are a popular stop-off point for travellers hoping to catch a glimpse of Nessie, Scotland's mythical loch-dwelling monster.
Meanwhile, Stirling Castle is a beacon of Scottish independence with a turbulent history that links William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots.
As Scotland continues to revive its tourism sector, a further 23 historic locations will reopen over the next few months. These include the ancient Skara Brae on the Orkney Islands, which will open in August, and St Andrews Castle and Fort George, scheduled to open in September.
A 14-day quarantine period
Visit Scotland – the country's tourism organisation – released a breathtakingly beautiful video last week highlighting the country's treasures and encouraging people to go and explore, now that movement restrictions have eased. Tourism is one of Scotland's most important industries, but a lack of international visitors because of Covid-19 means the country is more reliant than ever on locals rediscovering what's on their doorstep.
While Scotland has never closed to international visitors, there is a 14-day mandatory quarantine period in place for all arriving passengers.
The country – popular with Britain's Royal Family – is also a favourite with Dubai's royals. In April, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, posted a throwback to his time stalking puffins on a remote Scottish Island.
Scotland has recorded 18,547 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but at the time of writing, had not recorded any related deaths for nine days in a row.
Scotland has taken a cautious approach to the easing of coronavirus restrictions. The country came out of lockdown two weeks after England, and was the first in the UK to implement mandatory face coverings in public areas.
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The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
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When: 7pm kick off
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Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
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- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
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Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: Torque: 352Nm @ 2,500rpm
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The Gandhi Murder
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RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
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He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
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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.”
