Essential

Several Dubai-based tourism businesses featured in the Business Traveller Awards 2008 held at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel in London last week. The winners included:

Best Long-Haul Airline

1 Singapore Airlines
2 British Airways
3 Virgin Atlantic
4 Emirates

Best Economy Class Airline

1 Singapore Airlines
2 British Airways
3 Virgin Atlantic
4 Emirates

Best Middle Eastern Airline

1 Emirates
2 Qatar Airways
3 Etihad Airways
4 El Al

Best Business Hotel Chain in the Middle East

1 Jumeirah
2 Hilton
3 InterContinental
4 Sheraton

Best Business Hotel Worldwide

1 Shangri-La Singapore
2 The Peninsula Hong Kong
3 InterContinental Hong Kong
4 Jumeirah Emirates Towers Dubai

Best New Business Hotel

1 Grosvenor House Dubai
2 St Regis Singapore
3 Four Seasons Hong Kong
4 Hilton London Canary Wharf

Best Business Hotel in the Middle East

1 Jumeirah Emirates Towers Dubai
2 Burj Al Arab Dubai
3 Grosvenor House Dubai
4 Shangri-La Dubai

Best Resort Hotel

1 Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai
2 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Muscat
3 Madinat Jumeirah Dubai
4 Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Penang

Best Airport in the World

1 Singapore Changi Airport
2 Hong Kong International Airport
3 Dubai International Airport
4 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Best Airport for Duty-Free Shopping

1 Singapore Changi Airport
2 Dubai International Airport
3 London Heathrow Airport
4 Hong Kong International Airport

BBC Radio 1 DJ Raymond Bingham, aka Grooverider, has been released from prison in Dubai. He was arrested at Dubai International Airport in November 2007 after forgetting to remove a cannabis joint from his trousers and was sentenced to 4 years in prison earlier this year.

He was pardoned as part of a Ramadan amnesty after serving just 10 months of his sentence.

A fire has broken out at the Atlantis hotel in Dubai. The blaze started at around 7.30 am in the main lobby just weeks before it was due to open on September 24. At the height of the fire, plumes smoke stretched more than one kilometre into the air.

Developers Nakheel have stated that the fire has now been extinguished and was contained in the lobby.

Silverjet Airlines has grounded its fleet after rescue funds promised last week failed to materialise.

A statement on the company’s website dated May 30 reads, ‘Silverjet continues to be in discussions with investors interested in supporting the business of Silverjet, however it has yet to conclude such discussions to its satisfaction. It is with deep regret that the Board of Silverjet has therefore decided that it must suspend operations with immediate effect. The last service of Silverjet was the flight from Dubai to London Luton, which departed at 7.30 am (BST) this morning.’

Dubai Municipality has outlawed cigarette sales to anybody under the age of 20. The ban takes place with immediate effect and was advertised yesterday in several Arabic-language newspapers. Young people are also barred from public areas where smoking is permitted.

Salem Mesmar, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Health, Safety and Environment Control Sector said, ‘Statistics show that three out of 10 people in the UAE smoke. There is an even greater danger from the passive or second-hand smoking.’

The severity of Dubai’s drug laws was highlighted yesterday when influential British DJ Grooverider was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for possession of cannabis. Grooverider, the stage name of Raymond Bingham, is widely recognised as one of the founders of the drum and bass movement.

Grooverider was arrested at Dubai International Airport in Novemeber as he flew into to perform at The Lodge nightclub. He had forgotten to remove a joint containing 2.16 grams of cannabis from his trousers.

Earlier this month another British visitor, Keith Brown, was jailed for 4 years after 0.003 g of cannabis was found stuck to the bottom of his shoe. The piece of cannabis was so small that it could not been seen with the naked eye.

The severity of Dubai’s drug laws was highlighted yesterday when influential British DJ Grooverider was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for possession of cannabis. Grooverider, the stage name of Raymond Bingham, is widely recognised as one of the founders of the drum and bass movement.

Grooverider was arrested at Dubai International Airport in Novemeber as he flew into to perform at The Lodge nightclub. He had forgotten to remove a joint containing 2.16 grams of cannabis from his trousers.

Earlier this month another British visitor, Keith Brown, was jailed for 4 years after 0.003 g of cannabis was found stuck to the bottom of his shoe. The piece of cannabis was so small that it could not been seen with the naked eye.

Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes believes that the UAE is likely to revalue the dollar-pegged dirham next year due to the weakening US dollar. The company says the move is necessary to cut inflation in the UAE, currently running at just under 10 percent.

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has announced some pretty impressive statistics for the 9 months to September 30 2007.

Speaking at the World Travel Market in London last week, DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem revealed that the number of guests staying in hotels in Dubai rose 7 percent to 5.1 million while hotel occupancy rates rose 4.1 percent to reach 86.9 percent.

Dubai has been ranked the 34th most expensive city in the world for expatriate workers according to a survey released by Mercer, the consulting arm of Marsh & McLennan. Moscow heads the list, followed by London, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong.