Select Property Blogs - View all

Although the current global economic crisis has impacted most countries, many of Dubai's major export markets are still growing and the city's exports are expected to increase in 2009. A top official at the Dubai Export Development Corporation (DEDC) has said that exports are expected to grow by 11 per cent this year compared to 2008 figures.

"In 2009, we expect the list of top exporting sectors of goods to remain broadly the same as 2008 and our exports are expected to meet our target of minimum 11 per cent annual increase in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015," said Dubai Export Development Corporation chief executive Saeed Al Awadi.

Al Awadi added, "We believe that many of Dubai's key export markets will continue to experience a positive economic growth. So the growth of these countries along with new markets should ensure that exports continue to increase in 2009. In fact, we believe that Dubai will benefit from cheaper imported input, hence reducing the cost of production and making our exports more competitive in global markets.”

Al Awadi also noted that the good infrastructure and logistics benefit will make Dubai an ideal location from which to export to the region. "We feel that these advantages will encourage more firms to locate in mainland Dubai or its free zone clusters and hence will help to increase its exports," said Al Awadi.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

A unified central system for customer complaints and gauging customer satisfaction will be set up to improve government performance in the UAE.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has instructed ministers and all employees of federal bodies to continue developing customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction.

The UAE Cabinet discussed a number of issues relating to providing world-class services to customers in various government ministries and authorities.

Shaikh Mohammad said a minimum 70 per cent customer satisfaction rate must be achieved, which must be stepped up to reach the maximum rate by 2015.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

A heritage village showcasing the rich heritage and culture of the UAE has opened in Rifah in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

The village was set up by Emirati, Mohammed Mattar Al Masafiri, who said the heritage village was set up with the objective of providing the young generation with an opportunity to learn about their past, and the traditions and the values that guided the life of their ancestors.

The Village unravels the country’s past by its large collection of photographs, antiques, arms and household items. The opening of the Heritage Village featured a photographic exhibition on the life and times of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The Heritage Village was handed over to Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

The Al Safeer Group has opened its fourth shopping and leisure mall in the UAE in Ras Al Khaimah. On the opening day of the Safeer Mall there were more than 30,000 visitors, "Although this was a 'soft opening' without any official ceremony, the public interest was, and continues to be, extraordinary," said Mahesh Kalwani, chief operating officer of the Al Safeer Group.

The Safeer Mall is the first of its kind in Ras Al Khaimah and features a major hypermarket as its flagship store and about 100 other retail outlets as well as restaurants, a Jungle Bungle family entertainment centre and parking for 1,500 cars.

The Safeer Hypermarket and Safeer Department Store have a wide range of goods at extremely competitive prices. It provides a value-for-money experience for Ras Al Khaimah residents.

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and ABTA, the Travel Association, have collaborated for the first time to produce a report looking at predicted travel patterns over the next 12 months.

The report reveals that Turkey, Egypt and Mexico will see a significant increase in British visitors in 2009 as bookings show that holidaymakers are favouring destinations that do not use the Euro.

The ‘FCO & ABTA 2009 Travel Trends Report’ shows the number of British tourists going to Egypt has risen by 38 percent in the last year and visitors to Turkey have increased by 32 percent.

Turkey Investment Property

Turkey Property News

Tags:

Kevin Costner has signed an agreement with Turkish airlines to film a new commercial to promote the airline. Costner is expected to arrive in Turkey this week to film the commercial.

The commercial, which will be made at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, will promote Turkish Airlines first class cabins. The airline has acquired three new planes, each with eight first class cabins which offer passengers complete privacy and suite-style comfort.
 
Turkish Airlines has scheduled first class flights from Istanbul to Singapore and expects to introduce a first class service to Hong Kong, London, New York and Tokyo soon.

Turkey Investment Property

Turkey Property News

Tags:

A Doing Business report by the World Bank on the ease of registering property in Arab countries has listed the UAE in second position.

"Efficient property registration reduces transaction costs and helps to formalise property titles. Simple procedures to register property are also associated with greater perceived security of property rights," the World Bank said.

To this effect, Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) has plans in 2009 to create a specific system where people will go and register their properties. These plans will make the property industry more transparent in Dubai.

Linked with property registration, the UAE is also ranked the second Arab country where getting credit is easy. Despite the credit crunch, the UAE still appears to be ahead, both globally and regionally, in terms of getting credit.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

Tourism has been a focus in recent years in the UAE and tourism departments have been set up in each of the emirates. Dubai in particular has seen a dramatic increase in tourist numbers.

In line with this the President of the UAE, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has announced a new federal tourism body to promote and improve tourism at the national level.

The new body will be operational by the UAE Ministry of Culture. Bilal Bodour, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture said, “Since this is going to be a national tourism authority, we will probably have representatives from each of the seven emirates’ tourism entities working with us.” The tourism body will aim to maintain the focus and work towards attracting more tourists to the UAE.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

The Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Authority and New Horizons have signed an agreement to deliver e-learning solutions to employees and clients of the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.

The training process will be administered through the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone's Training Centre in cooperation with the New Horizons Computer Learning Centre. The learning modules include job-related modules and others for leadership skills.

Oussama Al Omari, CEO and Director General of the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone said, "The e-learning initiative's aim is to create an environment that empowers and gives freedom for employees to learn new skills at their own pace."

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

The Department of Public Works in Ras Al Khaimah has announced a ring road project that will join the entire internal and external road network in Ras Al Khaimah.

Work on the project will cost Dh1 billion and will be completed in three phases with the first phase to be completed in 2010, the second in 2015 and the last in 2020.  

Michel Sagal, Director of the Public Works Department said the infrastructure project will also include bridges and intersections and the installation of modern equipment.

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Turkey, Ismet Yilmaz, said that Turkey's tourism income reached $21 billion in 2008 and more than 26 million tourists visited Turkey. Yilmaz said Turkey was one of the top 10 countries in the world both in terms of tourism income and number of visitors.

Speaking at a gathering in the north-western province of Bursa, Yilmaz said that the growth rate of tourism was 2 percent in the world and 13 percent in Turkey in 2008. "Turkey's tourism income is almost equal to the tourism income of the whole African continent. The number of tourists visiting Antalya is equal to those visiting Egypt which is famous for its pyramids," Yilmaz added.

Turkey Investment Property

Turkey Property News

Tags:

The Dubai Duty Free 25th Anniversary celebrations were memorable in more ways than one as the daily sales reached an unprecedented figure of Dh71million in the 24 hour period.

A special 25 percent discount offer to mark the operation's 25th Anniversary resulted in a massive 24 hour spending spree at Dubai International Airport. The daily sales showed a massive 582 percent increase above the average daily sales for the year.

Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, said, “This 25th anniversary is obviously very special and we are delighted with the sales results and the fact that the turnover on the anniversary day has equaled the annual turnover in our first full year of operations.”

The 25th Anniversary sales figure is 54 percent higher than the former daily sales record set last December 20th when Dubai Duty Free celebrated its 24th Anniversary with a 24 percent discount offer.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

Dubai Internet City hosted the first Google webmaster event in Dubai on Thursday. The event was held to promote greater understanding of search engine technology and highlighted ways for web publishers to maximize their visibility on the internet.

Malek Al Malek Executive Director of Dubai Internet City said, "The high profile collaboration with Google demonstrates our dedication to continuously strengthen our Business Partners' expertise in the IT sector, while contributing to Dubai's relentless drive for creating a knowledge-based economy. In today's competitive marketplace maintaining strong internet visibility is crucial for the success of any company, blogger or news site. The event helped equip webmasters with the skills necessary to propel their site to the forefront of search engine rankings and consequently drive traffic to their websites."

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

A delegation of German businessmen from Volksbank Paderborn has held discussions concerning investment opportunities and setting up businesses with senior officers at the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone. The German delegation was received by Bissoon Surnam, Director of Marketing and Business Generation at the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.

Surnam presented the benefits and advantages that the Ras Al Khaimah FTZ offers businesses. 'We welcome the growing interest shown by German investors in RAK FTZ. Currently, we already have 210 German companies registered with us through our German office, 60 of which are new businesses registered in 2008. In the past few weeks, we have also hosted visits by a German media delegation and the Minister from North Rhine Westphalia, so we are confident that this visit will bring more positive interest and increase the German presence in the RAK FTZ.

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

The Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Authority, one of the fastest growing free zones in the region, has participated in the seventh 'Clean up UAE' national campaign together with the Emirates Environmental Group and the Ras Al Khaimah Government.

The event in Ras Al Khaimah was the biggest yet, with more than 1000 participants. Ras Al Khaimah FTZ and its staff supported the Clean up UAE campaign for the fourth year as part of the company's effort to bring together individuals, schools, businesses, community groups and the government to focus on improving the local environment.

Oussama El Omari, CEO and Director General of Ras Al Khaimah FTZ, said, “We have a long standing commitment to the environment, and Clean up UAE is one way for us to expand our efforts at the community level. It is a perfect fit with our environmental efforts of recycling, energy and water conservation.”

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags:

The Turkish Exporters Assembly President, Mehmet Büyükekşi, has said the ongoing global financial crisis has triggered positive change in the economy in Turkey. Turkish exports had increased from $25 billion to $130 billion between 2001 and 2008 and the president said this had helped strengthen Turkish companies.

Speaking at a conference yesterday, Büyükekşi said the Turkish economy is in the midst of a transformation process and that the emergence of the crisis will actually accelerate its development. "The crisis is actually helping the Turkish economy undergo this positive change faster. We can say the crisis will be to the benefit of the Turkish economy in the long run."

Büyükekşi also underlined that Turkey has to set its sights on neighbouring countries and the African continent as trade partners since demand from European countries has decreased significantly. "Those companies that are proactive and seek new chances will overcome the crisis easier than others," he added.

Turkey Investment Property

Turkey Property News

Tags:

Turkey's e-State Portal project, which makes it possible to complete a wide range of bureaucratic procedures for various state agencies online, has been launched in the Ministry of Education Assembly Hall in Ankara.

Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The primary aim of the e-State Portal project, which paves the way for the transition to an information society, is minimizing bureaucracy and ensuring that our state offers fast and quality service to citizens and businesses."

Erdoğan said,” We have always had a vision that places the individual at the centre. We have worked and are working with all our strength to make sure that our nation is not deprived of the blessings of the global age, which has turned the world into one global village.”

Turkey Investment Property

Turkey Property News

Tags:

FutureBrand's Country Brand Index (CBI) 2008 study now in its fourth year is a comprehensive study of more than 2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries.

CBI 2008 includes rankings and trends and takes into consideration various travel motivations, challenges and opportunities within the worlds of travel, tourism and country branding.

The 2008 Index ranks the UAE as one of the rising stars among the world's top tourist destinations, while putting the country once again on top in the resort and lodging options category.

FutureBrand co-chief executive officer Mario Natarelli said, "In the case of the UAE, the country has remained a class of its own in delivering world-class hospitality options that have truly redefined the industry. The UAE's brand initiatives are clearly aimed at reaching higher levels of excellence in terms of service quality, innovation and meeting high expectations of the hospitality market."

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, head of the Federal National Council’s Committee of Education, Youth, Culture and Media in the UAE has confirmed that a draft of the amended media law would be finalised by January 2009 in order to streamline the media activities in the country. Journalists feel that a revision of the current law is long overdue.

“Our role is not to evaluate the draft but to try to reach balanced amendments to help the media to work in a convenient atmosphere which will be of public interest in the country,” Al Qubaisi said. She added that the draft law would ensure freedom of the Press.

The draft law states that there shall not be prior censorship of any media outlets in the country. It incorporates the previous directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to prohibit the imprisonment of journalists. The workers in the media see Shaikh Mohammad’s decision as a step in the right direction for the future of media in the country.

Dubai Investment Property

Dubai Property News

Tags:

An amateur fashion designer from Ras Al Khaimah has been shortlisted to enter the Crystallized Abaya Design Awards. Ten finalists have been shortlisted by the organisers of The Bride Show Abu Dhabi for the Awards.

The Bride Show Abu Dhabi, the must-attend bridal and fashion event, will give each finalist the opportunity to showcase their designs, presented on the catwalk by professional models.

'The Crystallized Abaya Design Awards is an amazing opportunity for aspiring local designers to proudly display and honour their national identity and local dress, while embracing their creative instincts and talents,' said Daphne Cota, Exhibition Manager, The Bride Show.

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Property

Ras Al Khaimah Property News

Tags: