Dubai is firmly on course to achieve its tourism goals as it welcomed 10.12 million international visitors in the first nine months of this year. Photo: DTCM
Dubai is firmly on course to achieve its tourism goals as it welcomed 10.12 million international visitors in the first nine months of this year. Photo: DTCM
Dubai is firmly on course to achieve its tourism goals as it welcomed 10.12 million international visitors in the first nine months of this year. Photo: DTCM
Dubai is firmly on course to achieve its tourism goals as it welcomed 10.12 million international visitors in the first nine months of this year. Photo: DTCM

Dubai reaches 85% of pre-Covid international tourist numbers


Deena Kamel
  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai has reached 85 per cent of the pre-pandemic number of international tourists to the emirate in the first nine months of this year as the emirate continues to rebound from the Covid-19 global crisis.

The city hosted 10.12 million overnight visitors from January to September, compared to 12.08 million in the same period of 2019 prior to the pandemic, according to the latest available government data.

"The ability of Dubai to bounce back and recover very quickly enabled us not to miss a beat, so whether you're looking at tourism, trade or a financial hub, all three of them really flourished through Covid and out the other side," Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, said at DP World's Global Freight Summit on Monday.

"One of the things we've learnt is having an environment that is digitally enabled ... and has very strong data-driven decision-making — this is what's needed in ever-turbulent times."

Last week, the UAE announced a national tourism strategy aimed at attracting 40 million hotel guests, raising Dh100 billion ($27.23bn) in additional tourism investment and increasing the sector’s contribution to the country's gross domestic product to Dh450bn by 2031.

Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, reported a record profit in the first half of the current financial year on strong travel demand during the peak summer season as international borders reopened and coronavirus restrictions eased.

The airline swung to a Dh4bn profit in the April to September period, from a loss of Dh5.8bn in the same period last year, citing its ability to increase capacity in response to the surge in travel demand.

Maritime connectivity

In terms of global maritime connectivity, the industry has the "urgent task" to rebuild supply chains so global trade can better cope with future shocks, Sultan bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive of DP World, said in a keynote speech at the summit.

The pandemic, geopolitical tension and global climate crisis have exposed the fragility of many parts of the supply chain infrastructure and the industry must work together to share information and data, he said.

Sharing information "enables us to track every step of cargo movement. With this kind of visibility, we are more agile and avoid costly delays and work together to ensure stable trading connections", he said.

Sultan bin Sulayem, group Chairman and chief executive of DP World, speaks at the Global Freight Summit in Dubai. Photo: DP World
Sultan bin Sulayem, group Chairman and chief executive of DP World, speaks at the Global Freight Summit in Dubai. Photo: DP World

However, large swathes of world trade are bogged down by "legacy technologies" or there are too many digital platforms that do not work with one another.

"Wherever that happens, there is a bottleneck, a point of failure that weakens supply chains," Mr bin Sulayem said.

"Instead of seamless trade, there is digital friction."

More than half of freight-forwarders see inflation and geopolitical tensions as the main concerns for the global supply chain over the next five years, according to a DP World study released on Monday.

Some 63 per cent of the respondents said inflation is a main concern, while 56 per cent cited geopolitical tensions.

Two thirds of freight forwarders believe it is "impossible to say" when economic disruptions will subside.

However, three quarters of the respondents said they expected technology to be a significant factor in easing current supply chain woes. More than half said digitalisation would be the single biggest driver of reducing bottlenecks. Three in four said technology would lead to cost savings and better delivery to new and existing customers.

Concerns about international trade align with the latest forecasts from the World Trade Organisation for cross-border commerce to grow only 1 per cent next year, after a projected 3.5 per cent increase this year.

The DP World's Global Freight Summit started on November 14, 2022, to discuss issues facing the global sea-trade industry. Photo: DP World
The DP World's Global Freight Summit started on November 14, 2022, to discuss issues facing the global sea-trade industry. Photo: DP World

DP World reported a 2.1 per cent increase in gross container volumes in the third quarter of 2022 as global trade flows remain “resilient” but warned the near-term outlook was clouded by uncertainty.

“Looking ahead, the near-term outlook remains uncertain given the geopolitical environment, inflationary pressures and currency fluctuations but we remain positive on the medium to long term outlook for global trade,” Mr bin Sulayem said last month.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The specs

Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Power: 300hp

Torque: 420Nm

Price: Dh189,900

On sale: now

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

Arsenal's pre-season fixtures

Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney

Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney

Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai

July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing

July 29 v Benfica in London

July 30 v Sevilla in London

Huddersfield Town permanent signings:

  • Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
  • Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
  • Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
  • Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
  • Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
  • Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
  • Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
  • Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Indoor Cricket World Cup

Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty

Day 1 results:

Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)

Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)

PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm) 
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm) 
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm) 
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)

Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm) 
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm) 
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)

Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Australia (15-1): Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; David Pocock, Michael Hooper (capt), Lukhan Tui; Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson.

Replacements: Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Jack Maddocks.

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh289,000

The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km

On sale: now

Price: Dh149,000

 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Mobile phone packages comparison
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Pots for the Asian Qualifiers

Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka

Updated: November 14, 2022, 4:25 PM`