Many UAE residents are planning to visit southern Oman to enjoy the khareef season over the coming long weekend.
Friday is a public holiday in the UAE and many residents are planning to make the most of it with a visit to Oman’s Salalah.
At this time of year, the sultanate’s southern coast is transformed into a green paradise as seasonal rain, mist and cooler temperatures sweep the Dhofar Governorate.
Airlines, hotels and car rental companies have recorded a spike in the number of tourists heading to Salalah from the UAE this weekend.
Airfares have increased on flights from the UAE to Salalah over the coming weekend, including from Dubai with flydubai, where return flights start at Dh2,461 this weekend, compared with typical airfares for the two-hour journey, which cost, on average, about Dh1,300.
Air Arabia’s fares from Sharjah to Salalah have also increased, from about Dh700 for a one-way flight on an average weekend, to more than Dh1,000 on Friday.
Emirates airline's cheapest return flight to Salalah on Friday is Dh4,355, meaning travellers taking the flight will be paying more than Dh18 per minute for the journey.
Hotels in Salalah near full occupancy
“Our hotels are almost fully booked for the weekend," said Murat Sak, executive hotel manager at Orascom Development Holding, which manages the Juweira Boutique Hotel and Fanar Hotel & Residences in Salalah.
"We have had a lot of last-minute bookings and about 30 per cent of total bookings are from the UAE."
The pattern repeats at Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah, where Philip Yeldhos, digital marketing executive, said: “We are experiencing a surge in demand as we approach the weekend, with lots of inquiries and bookings from UAE citizens and residents. This is owing mostly to the long weekend in the UAE.
“This pattern aligns with our typical trend during the khareef season, where more than half of our guests are from the GCC region.”
There has also been a rise in demand for car rentals.
“Currently we are getting a lot of inquiries and bookings from the UAE because of the holiday coming up on Friday, resulting in a long weekend for those travellers. Most of our vehicles are booked. We usually get lots of bookings from the UAE during the khareef season, but this weekend it is exceptionally high,” said Sanoop Moinudheen, managing director at Modern Rent a Car & Tourism in Salalah.
For Mohammed Bilal, a UAE resident planning a trip to Salalah this weekend, the lure of the coastal Omani town is inescapable.
“The combination of the long weekend and the khareef season in Salalah is irresistible. I have been to Salalah during khareef several times, and without a doubt, it is the ultimate destination in the GCC during this season. The weather provides much-needed respite from the scorching temperatures.
“Prices seem to be up for travel this weekend. I saw that when booking my flights and a place to stay.”
During khareef season, Salalah experiences a pleasant drop in temperatures, which average about 25°C. This provides a welcome contrast to the rising temperatures experienced in other parts of the region, which average about 43°C at this time of year.
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Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
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“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
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Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
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Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)
Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)
Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
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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
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2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
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4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
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2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
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4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
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Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
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The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
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Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
