It's all go in Saudi Arabia this week as the first excavation takes places at AlUla's Sharaan Resort and Nujuma, a new hotel within the Red Sea project, opens for (eye-watering) bookings.
In the US, Boom Supersonic has completed its first successful test flight and a Dubai beach has been named the eighth best in the world.
Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.
Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve open for bookings in Saudi Arabia
With a little over a month to go until it welcomes guests for the first time in May, the ultra-luxury resort is now open for bookings.
Nujuma is one of only six Ritz-Carlton reserves in the world, and the first in the Middle East. Part of the kingdom's Red Sea Project on the west coast of the country, it will offer Maldivian-style overwater villas and will be one of the most expensive hotels in Saudi Arabia.
Located on its own private island and accessible only via charter boat or seaplane from the recently-opened Red Sea International Airport, the hotel commands overnight rates starting at 9,250SAR ($2,466) in low season.
For that price, travellers can enjoy accommodation in 63 one- to four-bedroom water and beach villas, complemented by a Neyrah spa, swimming pools, multiple culinary venues, a retail area and a range of other leisure facilities.
The Red Sea project is surrounded by the world's fourth-largest barrier reef system and spans over 28,000 square kilometres with an archipelago of more than 90 untouched islands. Experts at Galaxea Diving Centre in Nujuma will help travellers make the most of this natural wonder on excursions. Conservation House will be a place for travellers to connect with the culture of Saudi Arabia and learn more about the destinations' community and environments via hands-on activities.
The reserve is the second Marriott International hotel to open as part of the Red Sea Project this year, following the launch of The St Regis Red Sea Resort on Ummahat Island in January.
Supersonic Boom's Overture takes flight in California
The world’s fastest passenger aircraft took flight for the first time on Friday.
Two decades on from the retirement of Concorde, the first test flight of Boom Supersonics' Overture – a streamlined jet that will whisk passengers from New York to London in 3.5 hours – has taken to the skies.
Departing from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, from where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947, flight XB-1 flew for 12 minutes, reaching an altitude of 7,120 feet at speeds of up to 238 knots (440 kph).
It is a step forward for the US-based company's mission to launch Overture, the first supersonic commercial aircraft since Concorde ended operations 20 years ago.
The demonstration jet is about a third of the size of what the final aircraft will be, but uses the same technology. Advanced avionics, digitally optimised aerodynamics and a supersonic propulsion system will allow Overture, which can accommodate up to 80 passengers, to fly almost twice as fast as today’s subsonic airlines.
Boom said the jet’s test flight “paves the way for a revival of mainstream supersonic travel”. The US company has already received 130 pre-orders for the aircraft, with American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines among them.
While Overture is designed to be less harmful to the environment than today's commercial aircraft, and can operate on up to 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel, there is currently a global shortage of that fuel, which could pose problems.
Emirates celebrates Holi with a paint-splattered A380
Emirates is getting in on the act of celebrating the Hindu festival of colour with a paint-covered plane.
Wishing travellers a Happy Holi, the Dubai airline posted a picture of one of its A380 superjumbos covered in pink, red, yellow, green and blue powder. “We’re adding a splash of colour to the skies,” read the caption under the Instagram post which has amassed nearly 80,000 likes.
Holi is celebrated around the world, typically marked by raucous parties where people throw and smear coloured powder on each other. The festival, the celebrations for which begin on March 25 in many parts of India, signifies the arrival of spring and, for many Hindus, the triumph of good over evil. Held in March on the full moon night known as Phalgun Purnima in the Hindu calendar, the date changes slightly every year.
JBR Beach in Dubai named one of the world's best
A beach in Dubai has been ranked as one of the best in the world in a new survey.
Beach Atlas, a UK-based company known for its guides around the world, has unveiled its Golden Beach Awards for 2024. It ranks the top 100 shorelines and includes JBR Beach at number eight.
The Dubai tourist attraction is lauded for its golden sands and clear waters, plus the range of leisure activities, shops and eateries available alongside its bustling promenade.
Topping the list as the best in the world is Bora Bora beach in French Polynesia. The pristine shoreline was lauded for its beauty, natural diversity and cultural significance. Second-placed Boulder Beach in South Africa is noted for its thriving penguin community, while Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach ranks third with importance given to its indigenous heritage.
The world’s fourth best beach is Brazil’s renowned Copacabana and Maya Bay in Thailand, made famous in Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach and recently reopened after a beautification project, is fifth.
Iceland’s Black Sand Beach – the only dark grained shore in the list – is ranked sixth and Glass Beach in California, lauded for its jewel-like pebbles, is seventh.
Rounding up the top ten are Skeleton Coast in Namibia and the historic Omaha Beach in France. Despite stunning shorelines across the UAE – from Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island with its golden sands and marine life to Fujairah’s sparkling coastlines – no other beaches in the UAE made the list.
World’s longest infinity pool to open in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s futuristic mega city, Neom, has announced a mammoth new lagoon resort.
Treyam will open across a lagoon at the southern end of the Gulf of Aqaba and will be home to the world’s longest infinity pool. With desert and coastal landscapes, the sprawling resort will have a high performance sports hub and luxury spa.
A futuristic bridge will connect the southern and northern shores of the resort, on the roof of which will be a 450-metre sky pool lined with sand and palm trees. Hovering 36 metres above sea level, it will be the best place to take in views of the district, its turquoise lagoons and uninterrupted waters.
The resort is expected to be a hit with adventure travellers thanks to sailing, diving, watersports and land-based activities on offer, including hiking and trekking. Technology-enhanced wellness offerings are also on the menu alongside fine dining restaurants.
Treyam is located less than an hour east of The Line, Saudi Arabia’s linear smart city, making it the closest destination to the urban city.
UK passport fees to rise in April
Travellers from the UK with passports close to expiry are being encouraged to apply early for replacements. That's because the current fees will rise by seven per cent in April. Adult passports will cost £88.50 when the new fees are applied on April 11. That's an increase of £6 from the current price. Children will also pay more, with new applications costing £57.50, up from £53.50.
Premium services that allow UK travellers to obtain a new passport on the same day as they apply in person will cost more than £200 when the new fees come into force. Travellers applying for UK passports from the UAE will pay the same fees as those applying in the UK, with an additional £19.86 courier fee.
It's the second year in a row that UK passport fees have risen and the changes apply to renewals and new applications. A rule change introduced in 2018 means that validity left on existing passports is no longer added to the expiry date of new passports.
Saudi Arabia’s mountain hotel in AlUla takes shape
The first rock excavations at AlUla’s Sharaan Resort and Nature Reserve have taken place in Saudi Arabia.
Set inside an ancient rock face, the hotel's inaugural excavation on Monday marks a step forward in the destination's objective to become the region's premier destination for sustainable luxury tourism.
Set in the mountains, Sharaan Resort is being designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, who was responsible for Louvre Abu Dhabi. Its design is inspired by the nearby Nabataean wonders of Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, and pays tribute to a 2,000-year-old architectural heritage.
“The Sharaan Resort is our most ambitious project yet,” said chief development and construction officer Ben Hudson. “This initial excavation is tangible evidence of our continued efforts to develop AlUla into a premier destination that harmonises luxury tourism with the preservation of unique cultural and natural heritage.”
Set inside the 925-square kilometre Sharaan Nature Reserve, the resort comprises 38 suites, a spa and wellness centre, kids club, sport studio, all-day dining restaurant and business hub. In addition, a signature fine-dining restaurant will sit on top of the mountain with panoramic views of Sharaan, while a glass lift will connect the rest of the resort.
The resort is being constructed using the ancient Nabataean practice of creating spaces within rock and part of the project’s uniqueness lies in having excavated areas one on top of the other. A completion date for the resort has not yet been revealed.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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.”
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
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Price: Dh465,071
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Mobile phone packages comparison
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
