While you might recognise the distinctive outline in a burgundy and cream livery, you would probably be nonplussed by the setting.
Not for long, though. The double-decker London bus could soon be a familiar sight on Abu Dhabi's roads after an international sightseeing tour company decided to bring its service to the capital.
The Big Bus Company, which already has a presence in Dubai as well as in London, Hong Kong and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is planning to show the sights of Abu Dhabi to thousands of tourists a year.
While no launch date has been confirmed, officials hope to start in time for the Formula One Grand Prix in four weeks, when up to 50,000 motor-racing fans are expected to pour into the city.
The company is confident the capital has just as much to offer them as it does in the other cities it operates in.
Where the London tour, for example, takes in such attractions as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Harrods and the Tower of London, customers of the Abu Dhabi version will see the Emirates Palace hotel, the Corniche public beach (currently closed for a revamp), the Iranian market and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
In Dubai, the bus tour includes sights such as the Burj al Arab, Ski Dubai, the spice souk and Dubai Museum, along with a dhow cruise along the creek.
Chris Compton, the company's general manager, said: "The tour will cover the entire island, starting and finishing at Marina Mall. I think there will be enough interest from visitors.
"Abu Dhabi is growing so fast, and if you look at all the work and development that is going on in tourism, it is phenomenal.
"It is going to take a couple of years before projects like the museums take off, but we think the time is right to get into Abu Dhabi now, so people are used to the buses by the time those attractions open.
"We are hoping to get things set up in time for F1."
The open-top, air-conditioned buses will allow passengers to hop on and off as many times as they like between 9am and 5pm at any of the 11 stops. The complete tour with commentary in eight languages will take more than two hours, and a single ticket will remain valid all day.
Mr Compton said the capital's congested roads could pose a problem but said the route had been designed to go against the flow of traffic.
"There are always going to be times in the day when the buses are slowed down," he said.
The tour will start officially at the Marina Mall - though passengers can join it at any stop - and travel the length of the island to its first stop at the Grand Mosque. Next will be an eastern viewpoint looking out over mangrove swamps before the bus goes on to Abu Dhabi Mall, the carpet souk, Iranian market and the Corniche.
The 18th-century fort at Qasr al Hosn, which is closed to the public but sits near the Cultural Foundation, will be next, followed by Markaziyah park, which has picnic areas and a children's playground. Then comes the public beach near the Emirates Palace and finally the flagpole on the breakwater.
The service was set up in Dubai in 2002 and now draws an average of 250,000 tourists a year. While the Abu Dhabi initiative will be on a smaller scale, using nine buses compared with Dubai's 45, it is hoped that demand will justify expanding the operation.
Buses will be branded with the slogan "We're all over Abu Dhabi" and will leave every 30 minutes, with each 77-seat vehicle completing two full circuits a day, seven days a week.
While there will be no tour guides on the buses, passengers can listen to recorded commentaries in English, Arabic, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin. Tickets will be priced Dh200 (US$54) for adults, Dh100 for children and Dh500 for a family of four.
The Big Bus Company was set up 18 years ago by the Maybury family, who started in London with just two buses and now have 80 carrying a million passengers around the British capital every year.
The expansion in the Middle East is due to a recent investment in the business from Al Fahim Group in Abu Dhabi.
Two years ago the organisation, whose portfolio includes transport, hotels and restaurants, bought a 30 per cent stake in the London company. At the time, Al Fahim said it hoped to launch bus tours in Beijing, Singapore and Shanghai.
Dayne Lim, the product development director at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, said the service would help visitors get a "more rounded" view of the city.
tyaqoob@thenational.ae
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
RESULTS
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jordan Sport, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Jungle Cat, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Kimbear, Patrick Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Blair House, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner: Hawkbill, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SPECS
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
