Tag Archives: exclusive-dubai
Who are the most popular celebrities in the UAE?
The UAE seems to attract more than its fair share of celebrities, which is no surprise given the country's glorious beaches, hot temperatures and stunning range of facilities.Dubai is a playground for the rich and famous and you do not have to look too far to find a recognisable face.The emirate is clearly a very attractive holiday destination, but it also appeals to top-class performers who have finally realised that the Middle East is an extremely lucrative market.Not only do musical artists receive huge sums to hold shows in the city, but they also make massive amounts of money through merchandising in this part of the world.But who do the UAE people like to see the most?Social media analytical platform SocialBakers has compiled a list of the ten most popular celebrities in the country based on Facebook statistics, Emirates 24/7 reports.The company scrutinised traffic from 3.4 million UAE-based Facebook accounts to see which stars have the most popular fan pages and the results were somewhat surprising.Colombian singing sensation Shakira was the most revered performer, with her page attracting more than 290,000 fans from the UAE.RnB singer Akon was next on the list, having amassed 260,000 “likes” from his fans in the Gulf.The rest of the top five was made up by Michael Jackson, Indian music composer and Oscar winner AR Rahman and Enrique Iglesias.Global megastar Justin Bieber – who recently took to the stage in Dubai – only managed sixth position in the rankings, which was perhaps the biggest shock.Although the Canadian singer's actions caused controversy during his recent stay in the UAE, his immense worldwide popularity cannot be questioned.Taylor Swift also made the top ten, while Bollywood playback singer Shreya Ghosal was included in the list too.The final two places went to Usher (with 126,247 UAE fans) and Lil Wayne, who had 124,177 Facebook likes in this part of the Middle East. Continue reading
More airlines expected to move to Dubai World Central
Leaders at Dubai Airports have confirmed that talks are ongoing with a number of airlines with a view to bringing more services to the new Dubai World Central (DWC) Airport.Chief executive officer at the organisation Paul Griffiths told Arabian Business that a “stampede” of carriers are expected to move into the facility.DWC only opened in 2010 and has been used solely to transport cargo thus far, although the airport has now been redeveloped to enable it to accommodate passengers.The aviation complex will take some of the strain off the city's main airport – Dubai International – which seems to get busier every year. Indeed, 66 million people are predicted to fly into the facility in 2013.Mr Griffiths thinks that as soon as one or two airlines have committed to providing services from DWC, others will follow.”We're talking to a great number of airlines but airlines really don't like being the first mover and when you see an airline go in and be successful, then you'll find that we're overtaken by a complete stampede of airlines wanting to be there,” he was quoted as saying.”I'm hopeful that over the next few months we will be announcing some more carriers will be operating from DWC.”The airport's cargo operations have been very successful to date, so much so that March 2013 was a record month for freight volumes.Mr Griffiths believes this will encourage airlines to use the airport for passenger services and he hopes tens of thousands of people will pass through DWC in its first year of operation.Meanwhile, work to extend Dubai International Airport is ongoing and plans are in place to raise the annual capacity to 90 million people in the coming years.Dubai Airports recently revealed details of an 80-day project that will see the facility's runways given a new lease of life.The organisation said the work – which will begin in May 2014 – is vital if the ambitious expansion targets are to be achieved. Continue reading
Dubai residents crave new technology, study shows
Dubai is one of the most forward-thinking cities on the planet and it seems that locals are desperate to make use of the very latest technological innovations.A new study by Gemalto showed that 80 per cent of people in the emirate want to utilise near field communication (NFC) systems on a regular basis.NFC is a contactless technology that is being integrated into bank cards and mobile phones. The encrypted development allows consumers to pay for goods simply by flashing their mobile handset or card against a point-of-sale machine in a shop or when using public transport.With Dubai boasting the largest malls on the planet, it is no surprise to find the demand for NFC solutions is particularly high in this part of the world.According to Gemalto, 87 per cent of survey respondents felt the technology would help to reduce queues and the majority of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would relish the opportunity to have one card that can perform multiple tasks, thus removing the need to carry lots of cards and cash around with them.Eric Claudel, senior vice president of telecommunication at Gemalto Middle East, highlighted a recent study by ABI Research, which suggested 85 per cent of payment terminals will be contactless-ready by 2016.”The feedback suggests that the momentum behind contactless payment technologies in the Middle East is reaching a tipping point, and it is no longer an 'if', but rather 'when', it will become a part of everyday life,” he remarked.Dubai has become a global technology hub in recent years, with a stream of influential IT companies setting up new headquarters in the city.Like many other countries, the UAE is increasingly reliant on the internet and there have been suggestions that a major outdoor Wi-Fi network will be launched across the city in the near future.Leaders at Cisco Middle East told Emirates 24/7 that web services are set for rapid growth in Dubai and free wireless connections could soon replace 3G and newer 4G networks. Continue reading
