Participants of Dubailand's Global Village extravaganza have blamed a rise in entrance fees and more expensive visas for a drop in visitor numbers to the annual event. A major tourist attraction for Dubai, Global Village last year attracted 4.5 million visitors over its three-month run. This year's event, which began on Nov 12 and will end on Feb 21, has so far lured 2.2 million people, according to the information centre at Global Village.
"We have one more month to go and I don't think that by the end of the period the number of visitors will be the same as last year," said Osman Esmail Osman, the organiser of the Egyptian pavilion. "It never used to be this way. To get to the Global Village, you had to wait in traffic for at least an hour, but now we can get here from the downtown area in about 20 minutes." Representatives from Global Village were unavailable for comment.
The developer, Tatweer - the master developer of Dubailand - launched Global Village in 1996 to attract families to the emirate and to gauge visitor numbers to the entertainment project. Global Village offers visitors a cultural and entertainment experience that features participants from more than 30 countries. Stallholders use the event to showcase a range of products at country-themed pavilions.
But this year, stallholders fear they will not generate enough revenue during the event to cover the cost of rent. "Sales are down by about 40 per cent compared to last year and we paid Dh180,000 (US$49,000) to rent this 18 square metre stall," said Shueta Bhattia, a saleswoman at Al Amber, a clothing stall in the Indian pavilion. "Right now, I've come to regret that decision because we are going to come out with a huge loss."
Mohsen Ali Abdallh, an Emirati who owns Al Janateen, an oriental perfume store in Al Ain, and who has a stall in the UAE pavilion, agreed. "The event is a disaster this year," he said. "I can hardly believe what is happening to us right now. Last year, I used to make sales of Dh5,000 a day and now I'll be lucky to make Dh500." Sunil Bhatia, the chief executive of the Indian pavilion, blamed the drop in sales and the number of visitors to Global Village on the higher cost of visit visas, introduced by the Dubai Government in August last year. "The 30-day visa charge for tourists is now about US$150, which is really discouraging for Indian and Pakistani families to come here."
Mohammed Naem, who is in charge of the Pakistani pavilion, said an increase in the entry fee to Dh10 per person was the main source of the problem. "This event is known to attract people from the middle and lower classes in Dubai who have large families," he said. "Last year, the entry fee charge was Dh5, now it's Dh10, which cannot be afforded by many people during this difficult time." When Dubailand is completed in 2020, Tatweer estimates that 40,000 visitors a day will flock to the venue, a figure that will contribute to Dubai's ambitious plan to lure 15 million tourists a year to the emirate by 2015, compared with 7.7 million in 2007.
Last month, Khalid al Malik, the chief executive of Tatweer, said Dubailand was being reviewed and a plan to deal with the economic slowdown would be announced soon. abakr@thenational.ae skahn@thenational.ae
Brief scores:
Toss: India, opted to field
Australia 158-4 (17 ov)
Maxwell 46, Lynn 37; Kuldeep 2-24
India 169-7 (17 ov)
Dhawan 76, Karthik 30; Zampa 2-22
Result: Australia won by 4 runs by D/L method
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
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- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
SWEET%20TOOTH
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more from Janine di Giovanni
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
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
