Art in the Arab world

LOUVRE Abu Dhabi opened its doors to the public on 11 November 2017. It is the first museum of its kind in the Arab world: a universal museum that focuses on shared human stories across civilisations and cultures.

Located in #AbuDhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pritzker Prize winning French architect Jean Nouvel has designed a museum city (Arab medina) under a vast silvery dome. Visitors can walk through the promenades overlooking the sea beneath the museum’s 180-metre dome, comprised of almost 8,000 unique metal stars set in a complex geometric pattern. When sunlight filters through, it creates a moving ‘rain of light’ beneath the dome, reminiscent of the overlapping palm trees in the UAE’s oases.

On display will be the museum’s important collection of artworks, artefacts and loans from France’s top museums. These span the entirety of human existence: from prehistorical objects to commissioned contemporary artworks, highlighting universal themes and ideas and marking a departure from traditional museography that often separates according to origin. In addition to the galleries, the museum will include exhibitions, a Children’s Museum, a restaurant, a boutique and a café.

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Picture Credit: pintrest.fr

UAE, Barbados ‘most expensive’ for Brits

THE United Arab Emirates and #Barbados have been flagged up as the most expensive destinations for British holidaymakers in a survey by Santander.

According to the report, the two destinations cost Brits more than £100 per day in spending money. By comparison, Poland and India are the cheapest destinations, costing just £30 per day on average.

The calculations do not include the cost of hotel accommodation or flights.

With a direct flight to Barbados costing an average of £3,136 during the peak summer season – a couple going away for two weeks could expect to pay approximately £12,900 for their holiday after accommodation is included, the report stated.

Close behind as the second most expensive place is the #UnitedArabEmirates (UAE), where British tourists can expect to pay £101 a day – on top of return flights costing an average of £617. 

Since 2010, the daily costs of visiting Barbados and the UAE have risen by an average of 36.5%.

Country / Daily spend

Barbados - £109
United Arab Emirates - £101
Austria - £92
Czech Republic - £92
Switzerland - £91
Belgium - £88
USA - £87
Luxembourg - £87
Netherlands - £81
Hong Kong - £78

Source: Santander analysis of ONS Travel Trends 2014

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8384210@N08/12483759944">Birthday Lunch at Rockley</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/42819205@N05/19774929418">Dubai</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Golf drive in the Gulf

#ABUDHABI is teeing up for a drive to strengthen its standing as a world-class golfing destination.

The plan – supported by Abu Dhabi’s leading #golf courses, tour operators, and hoteliers – is to target expanding golf markets in Europe, China, India and across the Gulf states. It will dedicated golf portal for golf enthusiasts, serve as a one-stop-shop to connect them with a range of golf holiday options, and offer direct booking tools.

Says Sameer Taher Bagaber at Abu Dhabi’s tourism and culture authority: ‘Our international golfing footprint is widening and visitors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they research and book their stay, so expanding the availability of golf information and direct booking access via the visitabudhabi.ae website represents a significant regional competitive advantage and broadens the opportunity to extend our golf tourism message.’

visitabudhabi.ae will host individual pages – in nine languages – for each of the emirate’s golf clubs.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95672737@N00/10884447685">Abu Dhabi - 064</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/22098403@N00/3424744892">Randy Gardner's Wedding</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Dubai overtakes Heathrow as world’s busiest airport

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in the United Arab Emirates surpassed London’s Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport for international travellers in 2014, according to the Airports Council International.

Dubai drew 68.9 million passengers for the 12 months ending in September 2014 – a figure that Dubai International CEO Paul Griffiths said grew to almost 71 million by year’s end – while Heathrow had 67.8 million passengers.

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Picture Credit: "A6-EDN (11882822223)" by Kurush Pawar from Dubai, United Arab Emirates via Wikimedia Commons.