Football fans in the UAE are counting down the days until the start of the Qatar World Cup in November.
Supporters desperate to be part of the global sporting spectacle are already plotting their routes, with nine months still to go.
Some could be priced out of flying into Doha, however.
Average flight prices from Dubai to Doha have surged from around Dh1,200 to Dh5,000 for the month-long tournament – making air travel an expensive option for those using the Emirates as a satellite base.
We are currently drafting a specialist product for this with insurance companies to make it available to World Cup fans who want to drive to Qatar
Soham Shah,
SelfDrive UAE
So, could a road trip be a more affordable option?
Those with an adventurous streak and passion for the beautiful game might well consider driving the 695-kilometre desert route from Dubai to Doha or 588km journey from Abu Dhabi.
Check latest Covid-19 rules
Current border restrictions require proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test for both countries, although that could change by November.
Supporters hoping to make their way to the tournament by road are advised to monitor the latest Covid-19 developments.
There's not a lot between the cities, so stop-offs are few and far between.
Planning and preparation can limit potential problems, and visas for Saudi Arabia and Qatar are easy to obtain.
Hamad Mohammed, a photographer in Bahrain who regularly drives to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in his Nissan Patrol, knows the route well.
“The roads are very good, and the route 10 between both borders is often used by supercars without any problems or surprises because it is so good,” said Mr Mohammed.
“Even if there are roadworks or construction, you get well warned in advance.
GCC-wide insurance cover
“It is mostly three lane highway, occasionally two lanes and sometimes there will be four so it is straightforward.
“I’ve done the journey in summer, and it is surprisingly cooler in the desert so even then it is a nice drive.”
With an average speed of 120 kilometres per hour, Mr Mohammed said the journey can be done comfortably within seven hours. He paid about Dh190 for three months of GCC-wide vehicle insurance.
Most of the route, around 400km, is completed in the UAE, with four-lane highways continuing on the E11 towards the border crossing at Ghuwaifat.
Apply in advance for visas
Crossing the border into Saudi Arabia poses the first challenge for football fans choosing to drive, as they must have third-party insurance to cover them for the GCC.
Visas to enter Saudi and Qatar are required, but can be applied for online in advance.
However, one vehicle insurance broker said few companies provide GCC coverage to include third-party for tourists – the minimum requirement to drive in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“We're still assessing how this would be implemented properly region-wide given the complexity of Covid and GCC country-relations,” one insurer said.
“Hopefully in a few more weeks, we would be in a better position.”
In September 2017, a royal decree in Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive and obtain driving licences. On June 24, 2018, Saudi women took to the road for the first time in 30 years.
Since then British architect Dawn Wadsworth has made the journey from Dubai to the Qatar border with Saudi Arabia several times for work, most recently just two weeks ago in her Toyota Prado.
“We were driving in Saudi for a couple of weeks so chose to insure the car for the whole year, which only cost an extra Dh500 on our existing insurance,” she said.
“To buy insurance at the border it costs around 200 Saudi Riyal (Dh200) for 15 days, if people are going over just for a couple of days it will be cheaper.
"The border crossing was simple enough, as it was empty but for a couple of cars but it still took almost two hours to get through.
“You wonder if they are prepared for large numbers of people who may drive across the border once the World Cup is on.”
Border inspections at the crossing with Saudi Arabia at Ghuwaifat can take up to two hours on busy days.
Officials require travellers to exit their vehicles to present their passports and visa documents. A full vehicle check is also completed by customs officers.
The process is similar at the border with Qatar in Salwa, around 120km from the UAE crossing.
Few rental firms allow GCC travel but there are options
Another hurdle supporters may have to contend with is the availability of hire cars.
Few rental companies allow vehicles to be driven from the UAE to Qatar, but one that does is SelfDrive UAE.
Soham Shah, chief executive of SelfDrive UAE, said plans were being prepared to make it easier for tourists to hire cars and drive them into Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“We are currently drafting a specialist product for this with insurance companies to make it available to World Cup fans who want to drive to Qatar,” he said,
"Not all nationalities have the privilege of crossing the land border so it is important people plan ahead.”
SelfDrive can provide a range of vehicles, from budget motors to high end luxury vehicles.
It also has eight-seat SUVs for hire to make it easier for fans looking to travel together.
Mr Shah said his company was working on providing special insurance packages for rentals that will look after passengers as well as the driver in all three countries.
“It can be done, but it largely depends on the nationality of the passport holders and their visa conditions,” he said.
“People don’t want to drive 400km and then get turned away at the border.”
Car rental company Sixt said despite not offering cross-border journeys, the potential high demand for them during the World Cup means they are in talks to make this an option for its customers.
"Currently, neither one-way rentals, with customers renting a vehicle in the UAE and dropping it off in Qatar, nor cross-border journeys from the UAE to Qatar are allowed as part of our terms and conditions," said a spokesperson.
"However, we expect an increasing demand for travel options to the country for the World Cup later in 2022.
"SIXT puts its customers’ wishes at the centre of its actions, therefore we are working with our local partners to include journeys from the UAE to Qatar as part of our offering."
To register a visit to Qatar by road, motorists can visit the Ehteraz government portal.
The portal for arrivals at the land border with Saudi Arabia is the Muqeem site, where arrivals can register their vaccination status.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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.”
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Fernando Jara (jockey), Irfan Ellahi (trainer).
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,400m
Winner: Yaalail, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Fernando Jara, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2.200m
Winner: Ezz Al Rawasi, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi.
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The%20specs
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
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Paris%20Agreement
%3Cp%3EArticle%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E1.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20periodically%20take%20stock%20of%20the%20implementation%20of%20this%20Agreement%20to%20assess%20the%20collective%20progress%20towards%20achieving%20the%20purpose%20of%20this%20Agreement%20and%20its%20long-term%20goals%20(referred%20to%20as%20the%20%22global%20stocktake%22)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20undertake%20its%20first%20global%20stocktake%20in%202023%20and%20every%20five%20years%20thereafter%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
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