As tourism campaigns go, this one has real bite. In a bid to lure more British tourists, the central European nation of Romania is highlighting the relationship between the UK royal family and the prince who inspired the creation of Count Dracula.
Dracula author Bram Stoker is believed to have based his vampire character on Vlad III, Prince of Walachia - better known as "Vlad the Impaler" for his rather nasty method of getting rid of his enemies. Britain's current Prince of Wales, Charles, has acknowledged a blood connection to Prince Vlad via his great-grandmother, Queen Mary. She was a princess of Teck, part of the former German kingdom of Württemberg, before she married Britain's George V.
Now, according to UK newspaper reports, the Romanian tourist authority is promoting that family connection at the World Travel Market, which opened in London yesterday.
The idea is to encourage Brits to soak up some of their shared heritage by visiting sites associated with Vlad, the scion of the House of Draculesti, who is said to have had tens of thousands of people killed.
We just hope that the Romanian tourist operators have no intention of sucking their victims - sorry, visitors - dry.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Company%20Profile
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers