Travellers pass through airport security at Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2. Amy Leang / The National
Travellers pass through airport security at Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2. Amy Leang / The National
Travellers pass through airport security at Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2. Amy Leang / The National
Travellers pass through airport security at Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2. Amy Leang / The National

Relaxed travel curbs 'to boost UAE aviation and hospitality recovery'


Deena Kamel
  • English
  • Arabic

The easing of travel restrictions to and from the UAE will further boost the recovery of the country's aviation and hospitality sectors this year, according to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

Requirements governing travel to the UK and India, two of the UAE's top source markets, have been relaxed and this is expected to draw more tourists to the Gulf nation and improve transit flows, the lender said in its weekly economic research report.

"There has been an easing in a number of travel restrictions relating to the UAE over the last week, which should be positive for a further recovery in the important aviation and hospitality sectors," said Monica Malik, chief economist at ADCB, in the August 9 report.

"The next phase of the UAE’s economic recovery will be driven by the externally facing service sectors."

The UAE, a major international travel centre, said on August 3 it will ease restrictions applicable to six countries on its flight ban list to allow some residents stranded abroad to fly back to the Emirates.

The government said all vaccinated residents, as well as unvaccinated people in certain job categories, could seek permission to return from August 5. The decision includes people who are in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda.

Last week, the British government also removed the UAE from its red travel list and upgraded it to the amber list, meaning that travellers entering most parts of the UK from the UAE do not have to pay to quarantine in a government hotel for 10 days.

Unvaccinated passengers arriving from amber-list countries need to isolate for 10 days on arrival in the UK but can be released after day five if they have a negative test result.

Travellers coming from countries with amber status, who have been fully inoculated using vaccines approved and administered in the UK, the EU and the US, do not have to self-isolate but must provide a negative Covid-19 test within two days of arrival.

"The UK was one of the top sources of tourism to the UAE before the Covid crisis. India has also been removed from the UK’s red list, which will be a positive for transits via the UAE," Ms Malik said.

The number of tourists to the UAE is also expected to increase during the cooler winter months with a full calendar of events.

"The recovery in tourism should be further boosted by more conducive weather conditions and the hosting of key global events," Ms Malik said, citing the Expo, the Indian Premier League cricket tournament and the T20 World Cup.

A higher number of tourists to the UAE would also be "positive for private consumption”, she said. Before the onset of the pandemic, non-residents accounted for about 23 per cent to 25 per cent of consumption, she said.

"The hospitality and aviation sectors will continue to be impacted by the ongoing pandemic, both global and regional, with a multiyear recovery outlook," Ms Malik said.

Various restrictions remain and the emergence and spread of new variants are key risks, the ADCB chief economist said.

"Nonetheless, the latest developments are positive for an externally facing and service-based economy such as the UAE’s non-oil sector," she said.

Dubai’s non-oil private sector economy improved at its quickest pace in a year in July "helped by a rise in customer numbers that boosted sales in the travel and tourism and wholesale and retail sectors”, IHS Markit economist David Owen said on Monday.

Hotels in Dubai recorded a surge in occupancy rates in June, boosted by Eid staycations, a pick-up in regional travel and hoteliers cutting prices to attract guests over the summer season, according to research by Emirates NBD and figures by hospitality data and analytics specialist STR.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

While you're here

As You Were

Liam Gallagher

(Warner Bros)

Awar Qalb

Director: Jamal Salem

Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman

Two stars

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

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Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

MATCH INFO

World Cup 2022 qualifier

UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm

Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

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THE%20SPECS
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What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

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Infiniti QX80 specs

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Company profile

Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier

Sunday's results:

  • UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
  • Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
  • Oman v Hong Kong, no result

Tuesday fixtures:

  • Malaysia v Singapore
  • UAE v Oman
  • Nepal v Hong Kong
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld

Updated: August 09, 2021, 11:37 AM`