DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has toured the pavilions of Spain, Hungary, and the Republic of Korea at Expo 2020.

Speaking during the tour, His Highness said Expo 2020 Dubai highlights the best of innovation and excellence achieved by countries across the world, particularly solutions to overcome the most pressing challenges that the global community faces in diverse sectors. 

He said the mega-international event hosted by Dubai represents a rare opportunity for the youth to learn about the latest innovations that are shaping the world’s future and draw inspiration from creative ideas that are driving sustainable development in vital fields.

During his visit to the pavilion of Spain, located in the Sustainability District, His Highness was briefed on its exhibits that highlight the rich productive and creative fabric of the country. Under the theme ‘Intelligence for life’, the Pavilion seeks to highlight the human capacity for innovation and the desire to preserve a good quality of life on the planet, both for current and future generations. The Spain Pavilion also celebrates the country’s deep, age-old ties to the Arab world with an open, eco-friendly exhibition that seamlessly blends ancient heritage and cutting-edge innovation. A wide range of thought-provoking exhibits focus on how Spain is pioneering new education methods and fostering entrepreneurship. Spain’s commitment to sustainability is embodied in the pavilion itself, which is built from reusable materials.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed also went on a tour of the Hungarian Pavilion located in the Jubilee area. Under the theme ‘Aqua Roots of Hungary’, the country’s Pavilion allows visitors to immerse themselves in a relaxing, healing and rehabilitative experience as the country spotlights its unique, mineral-rich thermal springs. The Pavilion sheds light on the healing power of water and balneotherapy – the ancient treatment of ailments by bathing in thermal mineral waters. In an interactive exhibition that reveals the origins of Hungary’s thermal springs, visitors can soak up the country’s wellness and spa culture – and how it is buoying the country’s health tourism industry.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed also visited the Pavilion of the Republic of Korea, located in the Mobility District of Expo 2020, where he was introduced to an interactive smart experience that presents what the country offers the world. National values presented through the Pavilion’s design include solidarity, dynamic thinking, a commitment to innovation and flexibility in the face of change. These traits are reflected in the pavilion’s facade, which constantly changes throughout the day. The facade is made up of brightly coloured spinning cubes and puts on a spectacular display, reflecting the spirit of the Korean landscape. The five-storey building, one of the largest pavilions in Expo 2020, reflects Korea’s focus on technological development and its leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially in artificial intelligence technologies. (WAM)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai Miracle Garden, the largest natural flower garden in the world, is returning for its tenth season, a milestone in the award-winning garden’s journey. To mark the opening of the new season, the garden has been decked up with a range of never-before-seen floral installations that promise a multi-sensory experience.

Dubai Miracle Garden features over 150 million natural flowers and plants from more than 120 varieties, some of which are rare and not cultivated anywhere else in the Gulf region.

Abdel Naser Rahhal, Creator and Co-Founder of Dubai Miracle Garden and Vice Chairman of Cityland Group, the developer of the botanical project, said, “We’re delighted to open the tenth consecutive season of the Dubai Miracle Garden. This moment is made more special because the garden offers families a unique opportunity to walk in floral spaces in an enchanting outdoor environment. The entire team has worked hard to ensure the new installations at Dubai Miracle Garden delight the visitors and gives them an opportunity to feel at one with nature in a safe and fun environment.”

“The new season of Dubai Miracle Garden is running parallel to the Expo 2020, an event that is capturing the imagination of a global audience. Dubai Miracle Garden, which takes inspiration from the Expo’s cutting-edge design, creativity and hospitality, is a unique addition to the itinerary of visitors to the mega global event.”

The highlight of Dubai Miracle Garden’s newest additions is a list of exciting floral installations inspired by The Smurfs, a children’s comic and animation franchise centered on a fictional community of small blue creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. A special ‘Smurf Village Attraction Area’ will host tens of life-sized mushroom houses and will be decked with furniture inspired from the animated film series. Families will have the opportunity to enter these innovative mushroom houses and share the experience of living like a character from The Smurfs. (WAM)

Dubai Miracle Garden’s tenth season also features a newly designed three-dimensional clock, a ‘floating rock’ with a fountain, floral peacocks, as well as two floral exhibits inspired by children’s favourite characters: a ‘Genie’ that stands almost 15 meters tall and a ‘flying magic carpet’. These new attractions are in addition to the Garden’s existing suite of floral displays: such as the green sculpted Emirates A380, ballet dancers, an amphitheatre-cum-observatory that hosts live performances, a scintillating ‘Floral Castle’ and much more.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Expo 2020 Dubai organizers have hailed the first month of the event as a “huge success”, announcing an impressive 2,350,868 visits from Oct. 1 to 31, with a host of memorable events, entertainment and seminars attracting people from the UAE, the region and across the world.

So far, 28 percent of visits were made by persons under 18 years old, but this figure is expected to grow as the Expo School Programme expands during the cooler months ahead.

Taking a global overview, an impressive 17 percent of the total visits came from overseas, which was notable considering the event takes place when many countries are still operating pandemic travel restrictions. Expo has counted 185 nationalities through its gates, with the top five most popular overseas markets consisting of India, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

The majority of visitors intend to visit multiple times, with more than half (53 percent) holding a Season Pass, more than a quarter (27 percent) entering with a Multi-Day Pass and 20 percent entering on a one-day ticket.

In keeping with Expo 2020’s sustainability aims, an impressive amount of people have travelled to and around the site using RTA transport methods. From a total of almost 3.6 million total journeys, more than 1.1 million trips were made to and from the site using the Dubai Metro.

The opening 31 days also saw the first two Thematic Weeks from Expo’s Programme for People and Planet, which is designed to inspire collective and meaningful action to address the world’s most critical challenges and opportunities. A truly international cast came together for Climate and Biodiversity Week, which took place ahead of the vital COP26 global environment summit, before Space Week blasted off into orbit to explore how the final frontier can help life on Earth. Eight further Thematic Weeks will be held between now and the end of March, with Urban and Rural Development Week currently underway until 6th November.

A total of 1938 government leaders, including ministers, presidents, prime ministers and heads of state, have graced the Expo site to open their country’s pavilions, speak at official events or celebrate their nation’s Expo National Day. And many of the 192 Country Pavilions – the first time in World Expo history that every participating nation has its own pavilion – have proved especially popular. The Saudi Arabia Pavilion, one of the largest on the Expo site, has attracted half a million visitors already.

Throughout the first month, a number of Expo 2020 National Days and Honour Days were commemorated, with highlights including spectacular aerobatics from the French Air Force team Patrouille de France; Switzerland unveiling an inspiring supersize artwork by artist Saype; and international ensemble the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra delivering a message of peace and understanding for UN Honour Day. Ticket-holders have eagerly availed of their Expo Passports, with 695,437 sold in the first month, as fans compete to get the most country stamps in a single day.

A staggering 5,610 official events have been staged across the Expo site during the first month of operations. Crowds have been attracted to a stellar line-up of regional and international music artists, including Amr Diab, Kadim Al Sahir and Sami Yusuf. There have also been appearances by major sporting stars, from the basketball skills of the Harlem Globetrotters to the Rajasthan Royals cricket team. Individual countries have flown in musicians and performers, and there have been panel discussions featuring everyone from business leaders to astronauts.

As the UAE moves into its winter months and the weather become more temperate, visitor numbers are expected to steadily increase, enticed also by Expo’s ongoing programme of events. November alone will feature the conclusion of a week of events marking Diwali, Nancy Ajram and Ragheb Alama headlining the second of Expo’s Infinite Nights concert series, and the beginning of a packed schedule of celebrations for the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.

Bringing Expo 2020 Dubai to a global digital audience, the number of virtual visitors has amounted to 12.8 million since October 1.

Expo 2020 Dubai runs until March 31, 2022, inviting the world to join a celebration of unity, opportunity, creativity and sustainability that will help to shape a better, brighter future for everyone.

“2022 is an important year for us, being the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United Arab Emirates. By opening the JNTO Dubai office now, we aim to contribute to the further development of tourism exchange between Japan, the UAE, and the wider GCC,” says Ms. Tomoko Kikuchi, Executive Director of the JNTO Dubai Office.

By 2030, Japan aims to attract 60 million visitors with a JPY 15 trillion consumption annually. The Middle East is a priority market for the organization and a key focus in achieving this goal, with the opening of the JNTO Dubai office playing a major part in the efforts to attract more visitors from the region.

Interest in Japan in the UAE is high this year, with two Emirati athletes bringing home three medals from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. New Japanese restaurants continue to open across the city, and Japanese traditional culture is attracting more attention, with the first Emirati ikebana teacher receiving certification.

“At the Arabian Travel Market Hybrid event that was held in May this year I was happy to hear from many travel agencies that they are eager to resume their trips to Japan,” says Kikuchi.

In 2019, Japan saw a record high number of visitors from the GCC countries with 28,222 visitors making the journey, a 28.4% increase on the previous year and the figure doubling in the past five years. According to a survey conducted by the JNTO in six GCC countries from May to June 2021, approximately 30% of respondents answered that they would like to go to Japan in the future. Shopping, relaxing at resorts and hotels, and appreciating the abundant nature were ranked high as reasons to travel to Japan.

Conversely, almost 40% of the respondents answered that “I don’t know much about Japan”, presenting an opportunity for the JNTO Dubai office to broaden awareness of the many attractions of the destination, further increasing interest in travel to Japan and increasing the number of visitors from the GCC in the future.

The Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has been a key highlight of the event, with its architecture being a three-dimensional expression of Japanese origami combining traditional Arabesque and Japanese asanoha motifs, as well as a natural cooling system incorporating Arabic and Japanese techniques. In light of the fact that EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN will be held in Japan, Kikuchi adds: “JNTO will be holding an event at the Expo to promote tourism to the country in collaboration with the Japan Pavilion as well as the authorities of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. We would also like visitors to the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to find out more about the charm of Japan.”

The JNTO Dubai office is located in Office No. 806 of the Shangri-La Hotel located on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road and open from 8:30 to 17:00, Sunday to Thursday.   

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates: In partnership with Abu Dhabi Culinary and part of Culinary Season, Yas Plaza Hotels and Chef Izu bring an unmissable foodie pop-up at Yas Plaza, Yas Island to celebrate UFC 267, the headline event of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week.

Running till Saturday, October 30, Yas Plaza plays host to delectable food trucks by Chef Izu, Amerigos, Rangoli and Stills Gastropub serving as the perfect pitstop for fight fans watching the matches. 

At the first Izu Burger pop-up, guests can enjoy Chef Izu’s Wagyu Potato Bun Burger, made with an exquisite cut of Australian Wagyu Beef or 150-day grain fed Canadian Beef, topped with melted Emmental Swiss Cheese, signature sauce and a pillowy Potato Bun that soaks up all of the juices. 

Hungry amigos and amigas can head to the Amerigos truck for a tango of flavors that include lip-smacking dishes from Chef Mario’s hometown and other regions in Mexico. Add some flavorful fire by the fight sidelines with spicy enchilada Chili Cheese Fries. Tackle your tastebuds with a Tacos Pastor and slam your sweet tooth with Nutty Churros. 

For those looking to tame more rampaging appetites, Rangoli will be offering its specialty North and South Indian cuisine on the go with the likes of Lamb Seek Kebabs, Paneer Tikka Kathi Rolls and Vegetable Samosa Chats.

Soak in the start of the outdoor season with some live entertainment and drinks courtesy of Stills Gastropub. Choose from a wide selection of brews, grapes, bubbly and other refreshing and re-energising concoctions perfect to accompany that post-fight party. 

Muscle into ultimate flavors and entertainment around the courtyard in Yas Plaza, Yas Island this weekend from 6pm Thursday October 28 to Saturday October 30. 

1. Watch Dubai Fountain Show

With a range of 900 feet and the ability to spray over 22,000 gallons of water at any given time, the Dubai Fountain is one of the most enticing tourist attractions in Dubai. The fountain, which has about 6,600 lights and 50 colored projectors, plays a range of Arabic and global music. During the winter, it is also one of the top spots to visit in Dubai.

Location: Fashion Parking – Dubai Mall، Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard

2. Overnight at Desert Safari

Desert Safari is one of the most romantic activities to do in Dubai during the winter, and it is a must-do for any visitor to Dubai.

Location: Dubai

3. Ski in desert at Ski Dubai

It’s true that finding snow in the desert might be difficult, but not in Dubai. Ski Dubai is possibly the most real of all the winter attractions in Dubai. After all, you may ski down the slopes, toboggan in the snow park, or go to snowboarding .  Ski Dubai offers a variety of activities for people of different ages.

Location: Sheikh Zayed Rd – Dubai

4. Skydiving

Indulge in the exciting pastime of sky jumping during the Dubai winter season to quench your appetite for adventure. Throw yourself out of the sky in Dubai to experience the excitement of a free fall.

Location: Dubai

5. Swim at Aquaventure Waterpark

Without a visit to this 141-acre waterscape in Atlantis, the Palm, your winter in Dubai would be incomplete. The Aquaconda is one of the greatest water slides in the area.

Location: Atlantis The Palm, Crescent Road

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai’s premier fresh food market, the Waterfront Market – Deira will open its doors to host the 2^nd edition of the adrenaline-fueled Dragon Boat challenge on October 29  and 30.

The 2000-meter and 1000-meter races will take place in front of the Waterfront Market promenade throughout the 2-day event. The teams will be divided into four race categories: Open, Mixed, Women & Corporate. The event will ensure COVID-19 safety measures are thoroughly implemented. 

Mohammed Al Madani, Waterfront Market Manager said: “The Waterfront Market is delighted to host the 2^nd edition of the Dragon Boat challenge as part of its ongoing efforts to engage the community in fun-filled activities that cater to the whole family. The Dragon Boat challenge provides physical strength which aligns well with the market ethos of supporting all things health and fitness”.

Dragon Boat racing originated 2,500 years ago in China. Dragons, alongside the sun, are traditionally revered in Chinese culture and Dragon Boat racing pays homage to these ancient beliefs.

Offering an experience unlike any other in the UAE, the Waterfront Market is designed as a one-stop-shop for high-quality fresh produce – sourced locally and internationally. The market is housed within a 120,000 square meter state-of-the-art facility.

All customers and staff at the Waterfront Market have to practice social distancing and masks are compulsory. Those who are not wearing the necessary protective gear will not be allowed to enter. Please visit www.waterfrontmarket.ae for more information.

People who are interested to participate in the Dragon Boat Challenge can register on the UDARE App for the Waterfront Market Dragon Boat Race.

Download the UDARE app for more information:

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.udaresport.udare

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/ae/app/udare-we-match-you-play/id1573728791