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How hotels in the Middle East are coping with coronavirus impact

head dubai March 5, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: Hotels in the UAE are following airlines in asking their staff to go on unpaid leave, as the hospitality sector battles the full impact of the coronavirus on demand.

The move to sanction unpaid leave will impact mostly on middle-level managers rather than the daily operations staff for now, hotel sources say. Several properties in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are already pressing ahead with the move, which would, they believe, help them to drastically cut down on costs. Employees have been told to utilise all outstanding leave-in-lieu days and proceed on unpaid leave. (There are some who do get paid as well.)

That’s not all – other steps being taken by hotels to reduce costs include closing full floors to save on utilities, a temporary freeze on new hires and replacements, and postponing non-essential purchases. The UAE hotel industry had responded with similar steps back in 2001, after the World Trade Center attacks in New York put the brakes on global travel, and during 2009-10, when the economy was hobbled by the financial crisis.

A senior hotel industry executive said that hotels in the mid-tier space are even changing their food and beverage suppliers to minimise costs. For instance, “They are buying Brazilian meat at half the price instead of from the US or Australian meat,” he added.

Lower rung employees such as waiters and contract workers (who are there for banqueting and catering services, gardening and pest control) are not affected by this move. Employees are forced to take up the proposed option of going on leave or face redundancy.

Slash and then some more

At entry level 5-star hotels, rate have been slashed to Dh300 a night to try and convince travellers to book with them. At the luxury end of the hospitality market, properties are finding even rates as low at Dh1,200 a night is not winning them guests. (Some hotels have countered this demand dip by offering “staycation” packages for UAE residents.)

“I recommend hoteliers in regions affected by the coronavirus to offer special discounts to attract bookings and check all options to reduce fixed costs at the earliest,” said Dr. Tassilo Keilmann, CEO of Wellness Heaven Hotel Guide. “Some affected hoteliers have reduced their staff temporarily – if permitted by contracts. Other hoteliers have shut down parts of their hotels to save energy and reduce workload on their service personnel.”

While luxury hotels have not been hugely affected by cancellations caused by the virus outbreak, mid-tier ones that target corporate travellers have been affected. With firms like McKinsey and Ernst & Young have put strictures on corporate travel for their staff, business-related trips have nosedived. This is keenly felt by hotels.

Event cancellations have further compounded the hotel industry’s woes. With travellers from China, Italy and from within the GCC all but disappearing, hotels are among the worst hit. The general sense of caution related to travel and being in public places is weighing on occupancy and average daily rates.

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Coronavirus: UAE residents who travel abroad may face preventive measures when they return

head dubai March 5, 2020 No Comments

They may have to be kept in isolation if the competent authorities decide so.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has urged citizens and residents to avoid traveling abroad due to the spread of COVID-19 in multiple countries.

A statement issued by MoHAP today said that those who travel may face preventative measures upon their return to the UAE – at the discretion of competent authorities – including undergoing medical checks at the airport, and a 14-day home quarantine.

Those who test positive will be transferred to a designated health facility for treatment and quarantine to ensure their safety and to avoid contact with others, the statement added.

The UAE is prepared to tackle the Covid-19 coronavirus, and has all checks in place to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread.

Medical guides have been distributed to all health facilities in the public and private sector, as well as land, air and sea ports. Rapid laboratory testing and control procedures have been activated at border crossings, where more than 30,000 tests have been conducted since the virus appeared.

The Ministry of Education has announced a four-week spring break, as well as ensured that students are up to date thanks to e-learning systems that have been put in place.

It also indicated that students and workers at educational facilities who arrive after travelling overseas will undergo necessary medical exam and quarantined for a period of 14 days if found necessary, to ensure that they are free of the disease.

 

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Monica Gabetta Tosetti

head dubai March 5, 2020 No Comments

Doctor and marketing manager we are talking about the charming Monica Gabetta Tosetti who last Wednesday was the protagonist of a new photo shoot for a luxury brand in an exclusive location in Como. In addition to this curiosity, today we asked her to reveal all her upcoming initiatives and tell us about her upcoming commitments.

Hi Monica, thanks in the meantime for releasing this short exclusive interview. You were the protagonist of a photo shoot on Wednesday. Can you give us some information about the brand and some details about the photo shoot?

With pleasure. Meanwhile, these are sandals and shoes made with precious stones such as diamonds, pink sapphires and we also find gold and amethyst. The product is intended for a market also abroad and the brand is called: Kori Sandals Italy. I wore products from the Luxury line of the Kori Sandals Italy Collection, shoes created exclusively in Italy with hand-treated leathers and in this case with a decoration of precious stones
As for the photo shoot, it took place in Como – my hometown – in a truly exclusive location: the only 5-star Superior Hotel in the center of Como, the LAKE VIEW OF COMO (vistalagodicomo.com).

How important are shoes for a woman? Can it be said that it is among the first things that are noticed together with elegance and bearing?
Shoes are one of the most loved accessories by women and in every season there are must-haves to which no one renounces! Those with heels manage to give each woman a very feminine bearing because they force the body to walk slower and more sinuous. On the other hand, sneakers and combat are in trend this season as they can sometimes play down a look that would otherwise be too aggressive.
Saturday 7 we find you as a speaker in beautiful Florence in a meeting where you will be a guest. What topic will we talk about?

It will be a meeting related to digital marketing: three days of study and research on digital marketing, a topic I will speak of as speaker but for now I cannot reveal further details about the specific topics that will be treated.
Speaking of departures, next weekend we know you will be traveling again. What is the destination?

Yes, on December 15th I will be at Europa-Park. The last “attraction” to experience the world of indoor water is Rulantica, a real theme park completely covered in fact and with numerous water attractions. The costume is ready! My task will be to lead my followers to discover this wonder. Fun is guaranteed.

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Coronavirus in UAE: Schools to go ahead with CBSE board exams as planned

head dubai March 4, 2020 No Comments

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Grade 10 and 12 examinations will go ahead as planned, several schools told Khaleej Times. Stringent safety and hygiene protocols will also be adopted by the schools to ensure the safety of students attempting the exams.

The Indian High School, a centre for the exams said the exams will go ahead as scheduled. “Unless and until the board advises otherwise, we will be organizing the exams for students,” said an Indian High School official.

Mick Gernon, Chief Education Innovation Officer at GEMS Education said, “Our Grade 10 and 12 CBSE students still have a small number of public exams to complete between now and March 20. We have everything in place to ensure that those examinations continue as planned.”

Commenting on the school’s internal exam policies, he added, “Our focus on examination groups, intervention and revision sessions, completion of coursework, and internal assessments will continue as planned and facilitated through live online sessions between students and their teachers.”

Zubair Ahmed, the head of HR and administration at the Springdale School Dubai, said, “All board exams will go ahead as scheduled. This directive has come from the board in India.”

EP Johnson, the president of Indian Association in Sharjah, the not-for-profit body that manages Sharjah Indian School, confirmed all board exams will go ahead as planned until March 26.

Johnson said Sharjah Indian School is one among the biggest centre for the board exams in the UAE as a total of 1,500 students from other schools attempt the exams in the SIS school campus and 1,072 students from Sharjah Indian schools are attempting the exam this year.

“These numbers include Grade 10 and 12 students. Meanwhile, in the classrooms, as per CBSE directive, 24 students are allowed per class. We will maintain that number and the students will be seated further two meters apart to maintain safety and hygiene,” said Johnson.

Internal examinations at the Sharjah Indian School will be held until March 11. “After both set of exams are over, the school will be closed as per directives from the Ministry of Education,” he said. The school has installed multiple hand sanitizers in campus and doubled the strength of its cleaning teams. “The school will be thoroughly cleaned several times a day. If students and staff need masks, the school will provide them as well,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) advised Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools to go ahead with the final examination dates as scheduled.

SPEA took to Instagram to make the announcement and said examinations for Indian and Pakistani curriculums final examination dates will remain as it is, on condition that students will perform their examinations and return home once they are done.

In India’s capital, despite the communal clashes, a total of 97.8 per cent class 10 students appeared for board examination in violence-affected Northeast Delhi.

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Video: Rape threat victim speaks out against Dubai chef

head dubai March 4, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian chef fired for allegedly sending a woman online rape threats claims his social media account was hacked.

Trilok Singh

“I didn’t do it,” Trilok Singh told Gulf News on Tuesday. “Probably my account was hacked. I don’t know how it happened. I would never make such derogatory comments against any one, much less a woman,” added the father of two.

The 38-year-old was fired from his job at Grand Barbeque Indian restaurant in Deira on Sunday shortly after he allegedly threatened to rape Swati Khanna, a final-year law student in Delhi, known for her outspoken views against India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.

Science & Tech

UAE to announce two more astronauts in January 2021

head dubai March 4, 2020 No Comments

Dubai: UAE will announce two more astronauts under its UAE Astronaut Programme in January 2021, officials on Tuesday revealed at a press conference in Dubai.

The conference featured Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi, the first two Emirati astronauts, and officials from Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), who provided updates on the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme.

Registrations for the second batch had opened in December 2019.

On Tuesday, Yousef Al Shaibani, Director-General, MBRSC, said two more astronauts will be chosen from thousands of applicants, whose number has reached over 3,000 currently – one-third of them women.

The registration deadline is March 31 but it could be extended to May 1.

Shortlisted candidates will undergo medical and other tests and interviews, with final interviews to be held in November.

In January 2021, the two new astronauts will be announced.

Hazzaa said passion, dedication and ability to work in a team were crucial in the selection process.

How it all started

The UAE Astronaut Programme was launched in April 2017 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to prepare an Emirati astronaut corps for scientific space exploration missions.

Entertainment

Priyanka Chopra in Sharjah on bridging cultures and breaking stereotypes

head dubai March 4, 2020 No Comments

Sharjah: Actress and activist Priyanka Chopra Jonas hailed the Oscar glory heaped on the celebrated black comedy ‘Parasite’, a South Korean film, and called it a sign of amazing times that people live in.

Chopra Jonas was a guest speaker on the opening day of the two-day International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2029) being held at the Sharjah Expo on March 4.

“Imagine, a movie like ‘Parasite’, with English subtitles, won the Oscars this time. It shows the world is opening up to foreign languages and that is so important to mutually promote communication among cultures and people… Movies are breaking stereotypes now,” said Chopra Jonas during her session.

The former Miss World and UNICEF activist was on call to speak on the topic ‘Why Does The Screen Have So Much Impact On Public Opinion’.

She took the example of her own wedding with American singer Nick Jonas of how her lavish nuptials triggered a conversation of Indian cultures. She had unwittingly used her celebrity to spark dialogue on cross-cultural exchanges. Playing holi (an Indian festival of colours) with celebrity talk show host Jimmy Fallon on his show had many interested in knowing more about the festival. Governments too can tread a similar path.

“Government leaders can come together and the can cross-pollinate culture, tradition, food, and talk about things that bring the world closer,” she said.

The ‘Quantico’ star also implored governments to work with public figures that enjoy enormous clout and privilege to spread the word about effective communication.

Jack Welch, corporate America’s ‘manager of the century,’ dies at 84

head dubai March 3, 2020 No Comments

Jack Welch, the hard-charging former head of General Electric who transformed his company and corporate America with his ruthless attention to the bottom line, died March 1 at 84.

The cause was renal failure, said family spokeswoman Abby Whalen. She did not say where he died.

The hallmarks of Welch’s tenure during the 1980s and 1990s have become part of the playbook for chief executives everywhere: unflinching layoffs, ambitious expansion around the world, lucrative stock options for high-performing executives and a relentless drive to reward shareholders with stellar earnings quarter after quarterr.

Divisive methods

His methods were divisive. Nicknamed “Neutron Jack” for his massive firings of GE employees, he was hailed in 1999 as “manager of the century” by Fortune magazine.

On paper, the results were undeniable. In his 21 years at the helm of GE, Welch increased annual revenue from $25 billion to $130 billion; profits rose to $15 billion from $1.5 billion; and the company’s total value on the stock market grew 30-fold to more than $400 billion – which at one point made it the most valuable public company in the United States.

His success turned him into a model for middle managers everywhere, who pored over his books on management to learn his methods, or what he called “the Welch Way.”

He was in many ways an unlikely person to lead the buttoned-down General Electric. He was born to working-class Irish American parents without high school degrees.

He had a stutter and began his career at GE as a plastics researcher with a PhD in chemical engineering.

“The odds were against me,” Welch wrote in his best-selling memoir, “Jack: Straight From the Gut,” which was published in 2001 and sold more than 800,000 copies.

Brutally honest

“Many of my peers regarded me as the round peg in a square hole, too different for GE. I was brutally honest and outspoken. I was impatient and, to many, abrasive.”

Welch ran GE as if he were a general who would settle for nothing less than world domination. He spun off units with little sentiment and charged into new industries with bold acquisitions. And he wasn’t afraid to take on more debt to finance the company’s expansion.

Welch’s decisions led — and reflected — the wrenching changes going on more broadly in the U.S. economy as it shifted away from old-line manufacturing toward more services, especially in finance.

He took a company that was making hair dryers and disposable razor cartridges and moved it headlong into commercial banking, high-tech medical devices and television through the takeover of the NBC television network.

His long record of success at pleasing Wall Street was dotted with a number of scandals. In 1992, the company’s aircraft engine division pleaded guilty to defrauding the Pentagon of $42 million and giving the money to an Israeli general to win jet engine orders.

UAE rules out any VAT increase

head dubai March 3, 2020 No Comments

Abu Dhabi: The UAE ruled out any increase the value added tax (VAT to be accordance with recent IMF recommendations.

“We are not concerned about the recommendations to increase the value-added tax,” the UAE’s Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Al Tayer, told Gulf News.

The International Monetary Fund had recommended a doubling of the VAT.

According to economists, before adopting any new IMF recommendation to increase the value-added tax, it is necessary to evaluate the pros and cons of the past two years since VAT was implemented and develop solutions that can make the scheme more effective to economy and society alike.

Al Tayer was questioned at the Federal National Council on the effect of VAT on the economy, more than two years after the levy was introduced. The first deputy speaker, Hamad Al Rahoumi, sought answers on whether the 5 per cent tax on goods and services has had a positive or negative impact.

Al Rahoumi asked whether a study had been conducted to measure VAT’s impact. “Its impact – whether positive or negative – should have been measured by now,” he added.

The UAE introduced VAT on January 1, 2018, to pay for public services and continue the shift away from a dependence on oil as a source of revenue.

Beating forecasts

VAT revenues have reached Dh27 billion, far higher than was forecast in the first year of implementation. Initial projection was for Dh12billion, according to government data published last year.

Al Tayer said only 2018 data on VAT was available, which is insufficient to make a credible assessment of the tax impact. “The UAE introduced VAT on January 1, 2018, [a period] which is insufficient to make in-depth analysis of the VAT impact with reasonable credibility, considering that the 2019 data has not been issued as yet,” Al Tayer told the House.

Al Tayer said 2018 indices were for a very short period, which ctoo annot gauge the VAT impact. “We need at least three to five years to study the impact of VAT on gross domestic product (GDP).

The minister also noted that geopolitical conditions, a drop in oil prices, coronavirus and sanctions imposed on certain countries have to be taken into account when assessing the VAT impact.

Gains to GDP

Al Tayer expected that 2020 will see an increase of nearly Dh37 billion in GDP to Dh1.50 trillion.

Al Tayer said GDP last year was Dh1.46 trillion and inflation at 1.5 per cent, while GDP in 2018 was Dh1.72 trillion and inflation was 3.69 per cent.

“In 2017, GDP was Dh1.41 trillion and inflation 1.97, while 2016 GDP was Dh1.41 trillion and inflation 1.61 per cent,” Al Tayer said.