Tag Archives: dubai
Shaikh Khalifa congratulates nation on top efficiency rank
Shaikh Khalifa congratulates nation on top efficiency rank (Wam) / 31 May 2013 The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, praised the efforts of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses Members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates and the people of UAE for achieving top ranking in government efficiency and social cohesion. The UAE is reaping the rewards of empowerment by achieving global recognition thanks to its wise vision and policies, government excellence, and the efforts of UAE citizens, Shaikh Khalifa said, commenting on the UAE No 1 ranking top in Global Competitiveness Handbook 2013 issued by International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland. “On this day, we remember with great appreciation the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brothers, the founding fathers of the UAE. We all feel that the seeds sown by our founding fathers, and cared for by their sons and grandchildren, have helped realise this remarkable achievement,” Shaikh Khalifa said. Shaikh Khalifa described the international recognition the UAE had received as a testimony to the leadership capabilities of Vice -President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who is credited with stimulating national energies and developing government performance and practices to the highest international standards. “We salute Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his government team on both local and federal levels for the achievements made and for the motivation they provided to the masses inside and outside the UAE. They have proven that the welfare of the citizens of the country is the government’s ultimate goal. The achievement made by the UAE in social cohesion is yet another example that we are on the right track on building the future.” Shaikh Khalifa went on to say: “what has been achieved so far is not a coincidence. It is an outcome of a solid foundation, a fruit of shura, justice, rule of law and savvy economic plans. It is a culmination of empowering people, family values, openess to the wold and balanced foreign relations.” He concluded by saying that maintaining such achievements require protection and elavation of national identity, the value of work, the sense of participation, the empowerment of women and youth, developing education, technology and abilities and maintaining strong military and security capabilities to defend the nation’s achievements. Continue reading
Dubai Metro express service to become permanent
An express train that was introduced on the Dubai Metro's Red Line in October 2012 is set to become a permanent feature, it has been confirmed.The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) launched the service on a temporary basis and it has proven to be a big success.Speaking to Emirates 24/7, director of the RTA's rail operations Ramadan Abdullah revealed the train – which runs between Rashidiya and Jebel Ali in the early hours – will continue to operate on a daily basis.”The express service has been made a permanent service. The number of daily users is between 700 and 800, more than we initially expected,” he was quoted as saying.Extra trains were laid on from 05:30 and 05:40 local time in order to cater for the large number of commuters who need to move around the city every morning. Regular services start at 05:50 each day.Journeys between the two stations usually take between 60 and 70 minutes, but the express service manages to cut this down considerably by missing out 14 stations.A number of popular stations are included on the route, including Emirates Towers and Dubai Internet City, which perhaps explains why the trains have been such a success.The RTA has been working hard to ensure Dubai's public transport network is able to accommodate the growing number of people moving to the city.Plans are in place to expand the Metro and the organisation has also launched new bus services, some of which will provide links to railway stations.The RTA has been showcasing Dubai's latest transport developments at the 60th International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Congress and Exhibition, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland between May 26th and 30th.As well as highlighting the impressive work that has gone into making Dubai one of the best connected cities in the Middle East, the RTA also outlined plans for the UITP Congress in the Middle East & North Africa 2014 – an important event that will take place in Dubai. Continue reading
Mastercard study highlights strength of Dubai tourism
Dubai continues to attract more and more visitors and it is expected to become one of the world's top tourism destinations in the next few years.According to Mastercard's latest Global Destination Cities Index, there was a significant upturn in the number of people taking a holiday in the emirate in 2011 and 2012 and experts believe this trend will continue this year. Only Bangkok can rival Dubai when it comes to visitor growth.The purpose of the study is to rank cities all around the world based on their tourism potential and a number of factors are taken into account, such as international arrivals and the amount of money being spent by holidaymakers. The credit card firm also made predictions for the future.Bangkok was rated as the number one global destination, narrowly beating London, while Paris, Singapore, New York, Istanbul and Dubai were also ranked highly.Importantly, Mastercard included Dubai in its “cities to watch” category.”If all top ten destination cities maintain their current rates of growth in the next few years, then by 2016 Istanbul will surpass Singapore, New York and Paris in terms of international visitor arrivals; and Dubai will similarly surpass Singapore and New York in 2016 and Paris in 2017,” the report stated.With so many phenomenal hotels, shopping centres and other amenities – not to mention the beautiful beaches and desert climate – it is no surprise to see Dubai featuring at the top end of such a prestigious list.Dubai International Airport is now the second busiest on the planet and recent figures highlighted just how quickly the aviation facility is growing.Indeed, Dubai Airports confirmed that nearly 5.5 million passengers flew into the airport in April alone, which was an 18.7 per cent improvement when compared to the corresponding month in 2012.Dubai is also attracting more and more cruise passengers, with major international liners making the city an integral part of their itinerary. Continue reading
