Victoria Falls // The sight of what appears to be a splendid country mansion is a welcome surprise after a hot, dusty drive near the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
The Stanley and Livingstone at Victoria Falls, a Victorian-style boutique hotel, and its adjacent 2,400-hectare game reserve are owned by the Saudi national Sheikh Adel Aujan through his company Rani Investment, which is based in Dubai.
Rani is seeking other opportunities in Zimbabwe, despite the damage done to the country's tourism industry by the country's political and economic problems.
Members of the tourism industry in the landlocked African country say business has started to pick up after the Zimbabwean dollar was abandoned.
Before that, billions were required to buy basic groceries amid hyperinflation. The introduction of a power-sharing government has also helped the sector.
"We are looking at further investments in tourism in Zimbabwe," says Costa Shinya, the general manager of the Stanley and Livingstone at Victoria Falls.
"If we can manage to get more land, we'll look at investing more in Victoria Falls."
Mr Shinya says Rani is also considering investing in Kariba, to the north west. "Right now the [land] prices are slightly below what their true value is."
He says the company may consider a hunting reserve in Zimbabwe, where tour operators say visitors pay tens of thousands of dollars to shoot big game.
Hunting is popular with visitors from the Gulf, the operators say.
Rani's main focus is its juice and beverage division, which makes drinks under brands including Vimto. But the company has other interests in Africa, with several luxury resorts in Mozambique.
In Zimbabwe, Rani is also a major investor in the River Ranch diamond mine.
Stanley and Livingstone has only 16 suites. Rani built and opened the hotel in 1999, which the tourism authority says was the peak of Zimbabwe's booming hotel industry.
From 2000 onwards, the land reform policies of the president Robert Mugabe triggered a sharp decline in tourism, causing thousands of job losses.
"We used to have a very strong British market, mostly honeymooners, and we did see a decline in the arrivals after the country started getting bad press,and even had travel warnings," Mr Shinya says.
"I think since those have been lifted and since we changed to multiple currency, we've started seeing a comeback."
Mr Shinya says the hotel reduced its rates substantially amid the decline, now charging about US$400 (Dh1,469) for a room. The main market for the hotel is now the US.
He says the game reserve, home to animals including the rare black rhinoceros and elephants, regularly sells animals such as zebra and buffalo. Zimbabwe's government is trying to revive its tourism industry, hoping it will contribute $3 billion a year and a make up 15 per cent of its GDP by 2015.
Mr Shinya is optimistic the industry will grow.
"We have been approached by a lot of European tour operators that had removed us. We all expect next year to be positive."
Some travel agents say they are thinking of starting tours in Zimbabwe.
"It all depends on the stability of the political situation," said Freddy Magdalani, a manager at the travel agency Ocean Map, based in London. Mr Magdalani said the agency had ruled out selling packages to Zimbabwe in the past.
"Obviously it was difficult to sell. I'm keen to sell Zimbabwe if the situation remains stable."
But he said he was likely to wait until the outcome of the election next year and more evidence of stability before offering the packages.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE%20SPECS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
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
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The five pillars of Islam
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Getting%20there
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Scream%20VI
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Switching%20sides
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Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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