The emirate of Ajman saw a surge in the number of tourists visiting the state in this year’s first quarter. The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) reported that the emirate saw a 20 percent increase in guest arrivals, generating total tourism revenue of $29.4 million. Read More »

Strengthening its dominance in the sub-sea cable market, E-marine, the Middle East’s principal provider of submarine cable solutions, recently launched its newest cable-laying vessel, the CS Maram, in Dubai. The newest in E-marine’s fleet of five vessels, and the fourth in its cable-laying fleet, CS Maram is considered to be the most modern eco-friendly cable ship ever built. Read More »

InnoVacient LLC and Lamarka Consulting have revamped the InspireU Technology and Entrepreneurship Center of Excellence in Riyadh. InspireU aims to advance job creation and economic growth across the kingdom through innovative solutions that will help improve the standard of living in Saudi Arabia and lead the state away from an oil based economy. Read More »

Criteo’s recent report on online retail and travel industries across the Middle East and Africa region shed light on the increasing importance of mobile commerce for retailers during last year's Ramadan. The study revealed that mobile was the preferred device throughout the Ramadan period, with spending increasing from 44 percent two weeks before Ramadan to 49 percent by the last week. Read More »

Zenlayer, a global network and service provider of SDN (software-defined networking) technology, recently expanded its colocation and hosting capabilities with Equinix into Dubai and Melbourne, Australia.These two markets joins ZenLayer’s existing network of 50 data centers worldwide. As a service provider, ZenLayer connects companies and other parties in many different ways. Read More »

In the past few months, Qatar Investment Authority officials announced fund managers are making moves toward investing $35 billion in U.S. interests while opening an office in New York. The fund has hired top finance professionals. But none of that has, as yet, been enough to move the QIA from the bottom of the barrel in the eyes of organizations charged with monitoring sovereign wealth funds. Read More »

The JustProperty.com platform, a real estate tool for managing markets across the Middle East, recently announced it is expanding its operations to Bahrain and Jordan. This news is part of the quick emergence of JustProperty.com, a product of the JRD Group, over the past six months. Prior to that, the company had been operating in the Middle East for several years. Read More »

A new agreement between the Booking.com hotel reservation portal and a Middle East telecom provider is changing the way customers make hotel reservations in the Emirates, and throughout the Middle East. Read More »

Most of us still have not donned the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset, but in one of the major centers of global innovation, the high-tech and big-money city of Dubai, the move toward VR in various industries is alive and well. Read More »

 Dubizzle’s first northern emirates property report, comparing rental and sale price trends in the first quarter of  2016 to the same period last year across Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, indicates that the property sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen an overall decline in prices. The rental market, however, has experienced less of a decline than the sale sector. Read More »

In the UAE, public planners are looking to improve the tourism industry through partnerships with one of the leading innovative travel businesses in the marketplace - Airbnb. The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing signed an agreement with Airbnb that will provide more consistent experiences while streamlining the process of registration for property owners. Read More »

In an attempt to manage a significant amount of capital, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is apparently shuffling up to $100 billion into new investment efforts in what Arabian Business magazine is calling a “major overhaul.” A magazine story in mid-May said the Qatari sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is creating a new internal division to be headed by Ahmed Al Rumaihi. Read More »

While focusing on the modernization of financial management, advances in education and the diversification of assets, Middle Eastern officials are not neglecting some of the biggest technologies that have impacted finance in the last decade. Keynote Events and other partners are holding the first Blockchain Technology Conference in Dubai, which kicked off Monday at the Burj Al Arab.  Read More »

Leaders in the United Arab Emirates are building a new set of scientific laboratories in Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to help continue innovation in aerospace and other manufacturing industries. A set of 3-D printed laboratories are slated to be built as part of the research and development center there, and the labs also will conduct research on drones. Read More »

As some Dubai neighborhoods become sanctuaries for high-class culinary experiences, a new Mexican restaurant is bringing authentic flavor to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard downtown. Read More »

Dubai-based Imdaad, a leading provider of integrated facilities, environment and energy management solutions, offered a vital platform for identifying and recruiting young, qualified and talented Emiratis at the recently held Careers UAE 2016. At the event, the company focused on hiring candidates to reduce the rate of unemployed UAE youths, 18 percent of whom are women. Read More »

Nearly half of Lebanese workers, 44 percent, went without a pay raise in 2015, according to a recent study by Middle Eastern job site Bayt.com and market research firm YouGov. In addition to the dearth of pay increases across the country last year, the study presented other numbers about the economic position of Lebanese professionals and their outlook for the future. Read More »

To outline and define the technology that will affect and shape the future, Keynote Events will be hosting the first Blockchain Technology Conference in the Middle East on Monday at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. The conference is being supported by the Smart Dubai initiative with Dubai's Future Foundation as a strategic partner. Read More »

Market events this spring showed that middle-income homes are becoming desirable for buyers in the United Arab Emirates. Vendors and other exhibitors came to Dubai last month for the 12th International Property Show at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibit Center. One thing they found is that first-time buyers were interested in housing that suits their needs. Read More »

 A recent report from Monster.com shows poor employment numbers for various Gulf countries and the first negative growth in the region since January 2015, with a year-over-year decline. E-recruitment activity in April was also 10 percent lower than in March. The study blames global oil prices, political instability and other factors for problems in the region. Read More »