As tourists disembark the airport shuttle at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, the first sight their inevitably jet-lagged eyes will likely linger upon is a large and looming black-and-white sign attached to the top of a impressively grandiose sporting arena.
The sign reads Etihad Stadium. It is the first of several indicators that a relationship between the state of Victoria and the UAE is fast blossoming.
When Louise Asher, Victoria's minister for tourism and major events, visited the Emirates and Qatar last month as part of Australia's largest ever trade delegation to the Middle East, one of the first things she noticed was the similarities between the tourism policies of Gulf states and that of her home territory.
"It just struck me when I first arrived in Doha," she told The National this week. "Here was a country using sport to promote tourism, in an enormously similar way to what we have been doing here in the state of Victoria for many, many years."
Victoria has for over two decades now actively used sport as a means of promoting the Garden City. The Australian Open tennis championships moved to Melbourne Park in 1988, while the country's Formula One Grand Prix, which was won by Jenson Button this weekend, moved to Albert Park from Adelaide in 1996.
The UAE's tourism drive started slightly later - the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic in 1989 is often cited as the country's first major sports event - but it too has developed into a worldwide hub, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, first held in 2009, arguably the jewel in the country's sporting crown.
Melbourne knows only too well the impact and importance of F1. According to a 2011 study by Ernst & Young, the Australian race increased Victoria's gross state product by between A$32.04 million (Dh123.804m) and $39.34m and created more than 400 jobs.
As well as the financial benefits, it has also helped Melbourne claim the title of "the world's sporting capital". Lewis Hamilton, ahead of Sunday's race, described it as "a city that has sport running through its veins" with a "crowd [that] lives and breathes it".
This year the grand prix attracted 313,700 spectators over the four days, the highest attendance since 2005, with 114,900 coming through the gates on race day.
The Financial Times reported that around 28,000 were from overseas with 80,000 hotel rooms sold over the race period. Last year’s event attracted 11,156 spectators from abroad, according to Asher.
"It's the perfect place to start the F1 season," said Button, Hamilton's teammate at McLaren-Mercedes. "The circuit's obviously very different to most circuits we drive - it's a street circuit - but it's a lot of fun."
Yet this year, like last, the stories off track have threatened to overshadow the preliminary action on the asphalt. As Michael Lynch wrote in Melbourne's daily newspaper The Age: "The annual debate over the future of the Australian Grand Prix is as much a signal of autumn starting as the football season kicking off."
While many Victorian taxpayers remain unhappy that their state government is being forced to pay $50m-plus per annum to keep the race afloat, Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights owner has called for the grand prix to be held later in the evening – and thus at a more agreeable hour for television audiences in Europe – which would increase the cost significantly.
Asher told The National the state will not be bullied into anything it is not comfortable with.
“The track at Albert Park has no provisions and the government has no appetite to put in lighting,” she said.
“The timing of the race is very good for us, particularly with the Asian market which is very important here, so the government is not considering installing lights and has no intention of hosting a night race.”
Most observers consider Ecclestone’s stance as simply a Machiavellian way of garnering attention for his sport ahead of the season-opening race, but others contend that the rights owner likes to get his own way and with the Victorian government refusing to bow to the octogenarian’s calls, he could very well take his circus elsewhere when the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s contract expires in 2015.
While Asher freely accepts the grand prix is vital to Melbourne’s sporting schedule, she makes it clear it is not untouchable, adding the state’s major event strategy in 2010 was valued by Ernst & Young at $1.4 billion.
“Sydney has the Harbour Bridge, Queensland has the Great Barrier Reef and central Australia has Ayers Rock,” Asher said.
“We have really had to market Melbourne as something else, as a place where you can do things. For that reason, the Formula One is obviously very important, but we have a range of other events which add significant increase [to the GSP]. Yes, the Australian Open and the grand prix are very recognisable, but we also have the Melbourne Cup and the [Australian Rules Football] AFL final.”
Both the Melbourne Cup and the AFL have ties to the UAE: the self-titled "Race That Stops a Nation" has been sponsored by Emirates since 2004, while the AFL headquarters are located in an arena with a black-and-white sign reading Etihad Stadium.
The UAE is helping Melbourne market itself to the world.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE%20ILT20
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Fast%20X
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Louis%20Leterrier%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Jason%20Statham%2C%20Tyrese%20Gibson%2C%20Ludacris%2C%20Jason%20Momoa%2C%20John%20Cena%2C%20Jordana%20Brewster%2C%20Nathalie%20Emmanuel%2C%20Sung%20Kang%2C%20Brie%20Larson%2C%20Helen%20Mirren%20and%20Charlize%20Theron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
Event Gates – security and manufacturing
Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Avatar%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Water
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.