Earlier this month, a family of four that included a Dubai-based engineer, were swept into the Arabian Sea as a powerful wave crashed onto a rocky outcrop near the tourist hotspot of Oman's Al Mughsail beach. The mother was saved but went in to shock on learning about her missing husband and children. Footage of the incident on YouTube went viral. It captured the moment when excitement turned to panic and horror. Such rapid and dramatic reversals of fortune are a hallmark of tragedy.
This incident occurred a few days before I was due to take a family holiday in the same region of Oman (Dhofar, Salalah). Watching the heartbreaking video of this tragic incident woke me up to the potential dangers of getting too close to the sea during the khareef (monsoon) season. A picture paints a thousand words, and that image of a ferocious wave sweeping little children out to sea left me with a heightened sense of safety consciousness and primed to follow the prescribed precautionary measures to the letter.
One of the benefits of holidaying in the digital age is our easy access to detailed and up-to-date information on the locations we intend to visit. I remember the pre-internet days when the High Street travel agent was the font of all knowledge on potential holiday destinations. This data imbalance, known as an information asymmetry, gave travel agents an advantage. The internet eliminates information asymmetries, which is why so many travel agents are on the brink of collapse.
Today, many of us mostly book online, perhaps after reading comments left by previous visitors. We might also seek out impartial opinions concerning specific destinations on social media. Increasingly, we share and learn from each other's experiences: the good, the bad and the tragic. The internet is a triumph for transparency, which has led to better-informed tourists.
Rather than travel agents, we now have "travel influencers" on social media. Operating on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, they sway public opinion on destinations, excursions and hotels.
In recent years we have even seen the emergence of influencer-hosted travel experiences. This is where an influencer accompanies a group of followers on an international trip with a well-curated itinerary of photo-worthy excursions. For example, Alyssa Ramos of MyLifesATravelMovie on Instagram has run group trips since 2016. This year, Ramos is hosting 15 trips spanning seven continents. It makes one wonder whether travel influencers are the new travel agents.
Smartphone photography can sometimes lead to a degraded memory of an actual experience
Another change wrought by digital technology is the exponential growth in photography. Digital photography, especially with smartphone cameras, has massively increased the number of holiday snaps we take. Based on industry estimates, our snap rate has tripled since 2012, with 1.72 trillion photos expected to be taken during 2022. A downside to this is the phenomenon of death by selfie. Each year brings new reports of tourists attempting to take ill-advised selfies. Recent incidents include: "tourist falls into volcano after taking selfie" and "French tourist dies trying to take selfie at Thai waterfall".
Such holiday photography is typically an attempt to record a special occasion and generate documentary evidence of one's pleasant experiences. Ironically, though, in our increasingly frequent attempts to capture magic moments, we may be losing them.
There is mounting evidence that smartphone photography can sometimes lead to a degraded memory of an actual experience. One study published in 2014 in Psychological Science describes this phenomenon as the "photo-taking impairment effect". The article is based on an experiment where one group of students photographed exhibits at the Bellarmine Museum of Art. At the same time, another group browsed the exhibits, eyes-only. When tested the following day, the eyes-only group significantly outperformed the photography group at recognising objects from the museum's exhibit.
Travel shapes us. But through our technological innovations, we also shape travel. Later this year, the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is publishing a special issue exploring research focused on the concept of digital travel. The Covid-19 pandemic taught us, en mass, that physical travel is not always an option. Similarly, ill health, physical infirmities, and advancing age can make travel difficult. Might digital travel become an increasingly popular substitute for physical travel? It might also help offset travel's negative environmental impact.
As the Metaverse (Web 3.0) expands and virtual and augmented reality become more sophisticated, it is easy to imagine people taking bespoke virtual holidays. For example, such a trip could involve a day at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and a night at Cesare's Palace, Las Vegas.
I recently had a sample of what this digital tourism might feel like. It was at a technology exhibition in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The instalment included virtual reality tours of some of the world's great mosques, including the Kaaba in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. I have previously visited both holy sites, and the virtual visit was a lesser experience by far. That said, such virtual tours have the advantage of giving visitors access to typically off-limits areas, such as being able to look inside the Kaaba.
Physical travel, pilgrimage and the traditional holiday won't be supplanted by their digital equivalents any time soon. However, being able to take digital vacations on evenings and weekends from the safety of our own homes seems highly likely to catch on.
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Ferrari
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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
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MO
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The%20specs
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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
Schedule
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.