Suveckshya Shah was vexed she could not get into the Burj Khalifa on Monday.
Factbox: Dubai tourism
Burj Khalifa: The world's tallest building is a must-see attraction. Tourists can access the building's viewing deck called At the Top. General admission tickets with a specific date and time can be bought online for Dh100 (US$27.22), while immediate entry costs Dh400.
Dubai shopping: Malls including Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates are among the main draws for tourists. Along with hundreds of shops, the malls also include attractions such as the ice rink and the aquarium at Dubai Mall and cinema complexes.
Ski Dubai: The popular indoor ski resort in Mall of the Emirates offers activities including skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing and a snow park. Ski Dubai attracts more than 750,000 visitors a year. About 30 tonnes of snow are produced each day and the inside temperature in Ski Dubai has to be kept at minus 1°C.
Water parks: Water parks in the Emirates are growing in popularity. Dubai's water parks are Jumeirah Group's Wild Wadi and Aquaventure, which is part of the $1.5bn Atlantis resort on the Palm Jumeirah. Aquaventure last year attracted just more than 1 million visitors, while Wild Wadi received 690,000 visitors.
Desert Safaris: Tourists are taken on a dune drive and go out to a desert camp for a barbecue and often get the opportunity to ride a camel. Overnight trips are also available. The one-day safaris cost about Dh250.
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Even though hordes of tourists gathered around the entrance to the world's tallest building on a bright, pleasantly warm afternoon in Dubai, tickets were sold out until late into the evening.
"It's really a pity," said Ms Shah, 32, a humanitarian worker from Kathmandu in Nepal. "I wanted to see this building and the seven-star hotel."
The scene this week at the Burj Khalifa reflected the surge in the number of tourists coming into Dubai this year, with visitors coming from a far more diverse range of locations compared with a couple of years ago, when the emirate was largely attracting wealthy travellers from Europe.
Ms Shah had paid a Kathmandu travel agency 56,500 Nepalese rupees (Dh2,571) to join a three-day tour group, which included flights, accommodation and excursions such as a desert safari. She flew into the emirate on the budget carrier flydubai and is staying at the three-star Astoria Hotel in Bur Dubai.
The number of hotel guests staying in Dubai increased by 11 per cent in the first three quarters of the year compared with the same period last year, while total revenues increased by 19 per cent to Dh10.96 billion (US$2.98bn), according to figures from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
Dubai has benefited from its relative affordability today compared with the peak of the city's boom in 2007 and 2008, officials say.
Hoteliers have reported increases in the number of GCC tourists coming into the emirate, in part because of political instability in other areas of the region.
"[For] the places which have problems, it's better to stay away until it's finished," said Ali Al Shukaili, 24, from Oman, who was in Dubai Mall on Monday having driven for four hours from Oman's Ad Dhariah region with two friends. The technician was in town for just a day, but said he had visited Dubai a couple of other times this year.
"We're here to see the malls," he said. "It's a big town with lots of people." He estimated the three friends would spend about 30 Omani rials (Dh286.58) each during their visit to the emirate.
The number of visitors from the region, particularly Saudi Arabia, has surged as destinations such as Egypt and Bahrain have become less popular.
Faisal Al Mousa, 32, a bank manager from Riyadh, was enjoying a coffee on The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence, which was bustling with activity late on Monday evening. Mr Al Mousa made the 10-hour drive from Riyadh with a friend, and was staying at the luxury Dusit Residence hotel apartments in Dubai Marina on his four-day holiday. "I'm probably spending about $100 to $200 a day, not including the hotel," he said, adding he had been shopping for clothes and was planning to go driving in the desert. Mr Al Mousa said he had visited Dubai five times this year.
The number of tourists to Dubai from the UK has declined this year, as that country's economy remains weak. By contrast, the number of tourists from emerging economies such as India and China has increased.
Dr P Banerjee, a medic from Calcutta, was on his second visit to Dubai, this time bringing his wife.
"We booked the package in Calcutta for three days and two nights. It cost $300 per head, excluding the air fare." The price included a city tour, dhow cruise, and desert safari. They had flown into Dubai on Emirates Airline and were staying at the Imperial Suites, Dr Banerjee said on Monday, as a couple of large tour groups from Thailand and Japan snapped pictures nearby.
The expansion of the aviation industry in the emirate has played a major role in bringing more visitors into Dubai.
"Always it is so important for a destination such as Dubai to have a vibrant airline that is willing to commit to expanding," said Gerald Lawless, the executive chairman of Jumeirah Group, which manages luxury hotels including the Burj Al Arab.
"Certainly we see huge growth from a small base of Chinese visitors. Another interesting development is that the number of European visitors, the absolute number has not decreased, and we do find that the Russian market is very important. Into Jumeirah, [Russia is] now almost equal to the UK in terms of the number of people staying with us. As the airlines open up new destinations, we get new visitors from these destinations."
One of those airlines, the rapidly-expanding budget carrier flydubai,brought in the tour groupfrom Nepal that included Ms Shah.
She said she would be back to Dubai soon - so she could finally admire the views from the Burj Khalifa.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Kanye%20West
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Madrid Open schedule
Men's semi-finals
Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm
Women's final
Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
RESULTS
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jordan Sport, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Jungle Cat, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Kimbear, Patrick Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Blair House, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner: Hawkbill, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
