Travellers seeking new destinations can add Madagascar to the mix after Emirates announced that it will fly to the African island from September.
In Saudi Arabia, tourism is booming and there's an exciting new coastal destination being developed in Neom, while National Geographic Expeditions has unveiled new adventures for next year.
Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.
Emirates expands Indian Ocean network with Madagascar flights
Ring-tailed lemurs, rainforests, chameleons, waterfalls and more, the wonderful world of Madagascar will soon be within easier reach after the announcement from Emirates that it is launching flights to the Indian Ocean island country.
The airline's new route between Dubai and Antananarivo, via the Seychelles, will operate four times a week from September 3.
Boeing 777 jets will offer first class, business class and economy cabins and the Seychelles stop means travellers can combine two holidays into one.
“Madagascar has historically been underserved, despite growing appetite from travellers for authentic eco-tourism experiences,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer.
He added that the new service will “boost Madagascar’s connectivity” and “open new international business opportunities”.
Flights will depart Dubai just before 9am, landing in Mahe at 1.35pm. After a pause of around 90 minutes, where travellers remain on board, flights will continue to Antananarivo, with a flying time of 2 hours 45 minutes. The return service departs Madagascar at 6.35pm, landing in Mahe at 10.20pm and leaving again for Dubai just before midnight.
The world's fourth-largest island offers incredible biodiversity, with 5 per cent of the planet’s plant and animal species only found on this island.
From untouched beaches and limestone plateaus to sprawling national parks and Unesco World Heritage sites, Madagascar offers plenty of natural wonders. Home to many of the world's endangered animal species, the destination embraces eco-tourism, and aims to attract travellers with a similar mindset.
Neom's Magna to open as a coastal destination on the Gulf of Aqaba
Neom has revealed plans for its newest luxury lifestyle coastal destination. Magna will be located on the Gulf of Aqaba, spanning 120km and combining 12 luxury districts.
Part of the futuristic city's sustainable tourism portfolio, the destination will combine 12 previously announced projects. That includes Treyam, which is set to have the world's longest infinity swimming pool; Utamo, an immersive event space cocooned in a mountain with a 64-metre-tall entrance; and Aquellum, which will be home to the world's first floating marina.
Part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plans, Magna will be a tourism destination that has sustainability as a key focus. With plans for 15 luxury hotels with 1,600 keys, Magna is expected to welcome 300,000 annual visitors.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, chief executive at Neom, describes Magna as “a treasure of tomorrow, steeped in natural beauty and advanced technology” and says it will “contribute positively to national economic diversification efforts and the broader Saudi Vision 2030 goals”.
An opening date has yet to be announced, but Magna is the latest addition to the evolving megaprojects in the north-west of Saudi Arabia. It will join the likes of The Line and Trojena, the Middle East's first winter sports mountain destination.
National Geographic expands adventures to Sri Lanka, Portugal and Australia
National Geographic Expeditions is adding three new itineraries to its collection of travel packages next year. Designed to bring tourists closer to nature, the holidays include adventures in Portugal and the Azores, Sri Lanka and Australia.
“We are thrilled to introduce travellers to three new and exciting itineraries,” said Nancy Schumacher, senior vice president and general manager of National Geographic Expeditions. “These immersive experiences will provide our guests with special access as we tour breathtaking landscapes and observe wildlife while also learning from experts and naturalists.”
In Sri Lanka, travellers can join an 11-day exploration across the teardrop island that takes in six Unesco World Heritage sites, wildlife observations and ocean experiences. There will also be a visit to Oceanswell, a National Geographic-supported foundation established by Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan marine biologist and ocean educator.
Portugal and the Azores can be discovered on a 10-day trip that includes tasting traditional cuisine influenced by the spice trade, touring Porto on an electric tuk-tuk and kayaking along the Unesco-listed Douro Valley.
In Australia, meanwhile, travellers can spend 11 days exploring the Great Barrier Reef and viewing marine life from an underwater observatory; meeting conservation experts and seeing protected indigenous wildlife like fairy penguins; as well as trekking with aboriginal guides through the Daintree Rainforest.
Tourism is booming in Saudi Arabia, global report finds
Saudi Arabia is celebrating a record year for tourism, according to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council.
In addition to record GDP contributions and jobs in the sector, the kingdom also enjoyed record visitor spending last year.
The report said Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism industry grew by 32 per cent and represented 11.5 per cent of the economy.
Seven years ahead of its target, the kingdom welcomed 100 million tourists last year. The report said international visitor spending surged by almost 57 per cent to reach 227.4 billion Saudi riyals ($60 billion), breaking the previous record by 93.6 billion Saudi riyals.
The council found that domestic tourism spending was also up, rising 21.5 per cent compared to the previous year. The report states that working in tourism is becoming increasingly common, with the sector now accounting for almost one in every five jobs.
“Saudi Arabia’s travel and tourism sector's extraordinary achievements last year mark a pivotal moment in its journey towards becoming a global tourism leader,” said Julia Simpson, chief executive and president of the council.
According to the report, the tourism industry will account for almost 16 per cent of the country's economy by 2034.
The years Ramadan fell in May
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
The five pillars of Islam
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm Underwriter
7.05pm Rayig
7.40pm Torno Subito
8.15pm Talento Puma
8.50pm Etisalat
9.25pm Gundogdu
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SHAITTAN
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
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
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
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