Abu Dhabi's tourism board has built an online portal with tours and live events to help visitors, both domestically and abroad, stay in tune with the UAE's capital.
But, as for visitors touring the capital in the flesh, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT) expects locals will be the first to return to the emirate's hotels, attractions and restaurants.
“It’s definitely going to be domestic to begin with," explains Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, destination marketing director at DCT. "But as soon as air travel is opened up and more countries come online, we will go back to normal.
“It will take a little bit longer to get back international travel as a vehicle – planes flying in the sky taking people from A to B – but also until people are actually willing to travel and have that renowned confidence in the travel ecosystem in general."
But, until then, on the new online portal called #StayCurious you can learn to play the guitar, get to grips with coding, delve into the history of a Bedouin tribe or discover the recipe for raw vegan pizza.
#StayCurious is split into six categories ranging from Stay Indulgent – which brings some of the emirate's culinary offerings to viewers – to Stay Adventurous, featuring virtual tours and videos of the UAE capital.
“There are 360-degree virtual tours of the city, there’s going to be concerts and live events, stand-up comedy, an edutainment element and e-learning as well,” Al Saeed explains.
There will also be content coming from Etihad, Abu Dhabi Airports, Yas Island and Louvre Abu Dhabi to allay fears, and show what's being done to keep travellers safe.
With Ramadan expected to begin on Friday, April 24, there are plans to create fresh content related to the holy month, too, including lots about Emirati cuisine.
What this year may look like ...
The cancellation of Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East's leading event for the inbound and outbound travel industry, means that many travel and tourism businesses in the region will miss out on key face-to-face networking this year.
Despite this, Al Saeed isn't too worried about the impact of the event's cancellation on the future of the UAE travel industry.
"Business can go on, but it’s always better to have that closeness to your partners. Events like ATM do bring people from distant corners of the world in one place, so it’s easier to network and create plans together – but those things can still happen, it’s just on a different level."
Where hospitality and tourism may be hit globally is smaller travel and tourism businesses. “If you look at the major players, they can survive a month, two months, three months," says Al Saeed.
"But the little players, the mum-and-dad restaurants that had heavy footfall, whether from international or domestic visitors, those are the ones that we feel will be struggling if things don’t open up soon enough."
Abu Dhabi to 'bring in' in big names for digital gigs
In an effort to keep Abu Dhabi's tourism profile strong, part of the new travel portal is a section called #Stay Entertained. This has a wide selection of interactive sessions that users can sign up to take part in, including things like virtual meditation, digital sporting events and live video screenings.
And there’s more to come says Al Saeed, hinting that DCT Abu Dhabi's events sector is in the process of signing up some big names to the portal.
“Globally, we’ve noticed people are going online to watch DJs perform sets or seeing celebrities have a chat, and there is an opportunity there for us,” he says.
“It’s just [about figuring] how to bring it into the digital world to respect the quarantine situation, while at the same time giving the audience a compelling piece of content.”
Ultimately, now it's time for pause
Despite the current situation, Al Saeed sees a silver lining. "A lot of people that were living in their fast-paced world have had the chance to slow down a bit and reflect on many different things. It’s given us the chance to be closer to our families, it’s given us an opportunity to really look at the things we do take for granted and be more thankful".
But these unprecedented times have not been easy, and the destination marketing director compares what the world is going through to a period of grief.
“I think in the beginning we’ve gone through the five phases – starting with denial and moving on to acceptance, but I think we are through the worst of it when it comes to the physiological impact.
"I think people are in a more positive frame of mind, looking forward to the future," concludes Al Saeed. "And the #StayCurious campaign is part of that. It’s about feeding that curiosity of what’s coming tomorrow."
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
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Naga
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%E2%80%99s%20race%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Tigist%20Ketema%20(ETH)%202hrs%2016min%207sec%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ruti%20Aga%20(ETH)%202%3A18%3A09%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dera%20Dida%20(ETH)%202%3A19%3A29%0D%3Cbr%3EMen's%20race%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Addisu%20Gobena%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A01%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lemi%20Dumicha%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A20%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20DejeneMegersa%20(ETH)%202%3A05%3A42%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
