Insights: General
Cultural awareness, expat life and practical guides for anyone building a life or career in the Middle East.
Latest Articles
French hotel firm says 20,000 rooms now open in Middle East
French hospitality giant AccorHotels has announced the opening of a new seaside Novotel in Yanbu, the Red Sea port city in the western province of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. With this latest addition, AccorHotels said it has a total network of more than 20,000 rooms in operation across the Middle East. Novotel Yanbu is AccorHotels’ second
UAE confirms start of Eid al-Fitr holiday on Wednesday
The moon-sighting committee in the UAE has announced that Tuesday will be the last day of Ramadan, with Wednesday the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi, Minister of Justice and chair of the committee, said in a statement published by news agency WAM that the committee has not sighted the Shawwal
Why UAE expatriates should not keep all their cash in the bank
Dubai: Bianca Selma has more than Dh100,000 sitting in a bank account in Dubai that doesn’t offer any interest at all. The expatriate feels foolish just letting the money sit idly by. She had worked so hard to build that money for five years and it frustrates her every time she remembers that the bank,
Venture capital can unlock the potential of entrepreneurs in Qatar
As it strives to become a knowledge-based economy, Qatar has experienced a remarkable economic and social development over the last 30 years. The country’s economic policy has been traditionally focused on developing its vast oil and gas reserves but has also been pushing recently for more diversification, driven by the Qatar National Vision 2030 .
New tourist projects planned for Oman’s Duqm
Oman’s Al-Khonji Real Estate & Development LLC (AQAR) has been given the right to construct a touristic project at Duqm that includes hotels, residential and commercial complexes, and an amusement park. The Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm signed a usufruct agreement with the company as part of the authority’s effort to encourage more Omani
Consortium wins $2.89bn deal to build Dubai Metro extension
The contract to extend Dubai’s metro system to the site of Expo 2020 has been awarded to a consortium of French, Spanish and Turkish firms in a deal worth $2.89bn. France’s Alstom, Spain’s Acciona, and Turkish outfit Gulermack will work on the 15km extension of Dubai’s Red Line, which will run from Nakheel Harbour and
Saudi Arabia to set up college to encourage entrepreneurs
Plans have been revealed to set up the Prince Mohammad bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The college is part of the Gulf kingdom’s 2030 Vision, which aims to bridge the gap between the outcomes of higher education and the requirements of the job market, while
DWTC says shows contributed $3.2bn to Dubai economy in 2015
The spending associated with large-scale exhibitions, trade events, conventions and conferences hosted at Dubai World Trade Centre in 2015 has contributed AED12 billion ($3.26 billion) in retained value towards Dubai’s economy, according to a new report. The latest Economic Impact Assessment report released by DWTC said the spending is equivalent to 3.1 percent of the
The Middle East’s growing thirst for specialty coffee
The cultural domination of the humble cup of coffee is showing no signs of relaxing its grasp on the Middle East’s hot beverage market. The region represents 8 percent, or $6.5bn, of the $85bn spent on the drink globally and that is only growing. In the UAE, more than $544.5m was spent on coffee in
Have a question about the Middle East?
Our advisors are available to discuss your business setup, immigration or relocation requirements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
