A huge breach in Trust and the 10 most exciting projects in the UAE
Corina Goetz
Middle Eastern Business and Culture Specialist | Senior Strategic Adviser | Board Member | Keynote Speaker
In Today's Issue for you...
Star-CaT Updates
This month we were quoted in City Wealth - you can read the article?HERE.
Dates you need
???? 11 March - Flag Day?
???? 19 March - Father's Day
???? 19 March - Zayed Humanitarian Day
?? 21 March - Middle Eastern Mother's Day
?? 30 March - Eid El Fitr *
* may change pending on the moon sighting
Use these dates for your Sales and Marketing Activities for the GCC - find out how with our?2025 Calendar and MasterClass.
PLUS - never miss an opportunity to showcase your Business at the right event - you can get all events here:?Trade and Conference Calendar.
News from the Gulf UAE ????
???The second tallest (as of February 2025) building in the world at 725 metres, will be built in Dubai and is called Burj Azizi. The completion of the 131+ storey building is scheduled for 2028. If everything is going according to plan, the tower will have the highest observation deck on level 130, the highest hotel lobby on level 111, the highest nightclub on level 126, the highest restaurant on level 122, and the highest hotel room on level 118.
?? To boost international investment, the UAE will introduce a 180-day Business Opportunity Visa. It allows the holder to explore business opportunities and grants permission to travel to the country for either a single visit or multiple visits, based on the approved requirements and eligible professions.
????The UAE are lining up a huge number of headline projects for the next 10 years. Here are 10 of them:?
Oman ????
?? The green hydrogen project in Oman, HyDuqm, is expecting to attract up to US$ 8 billion in investments. Duqm, on the coast of central Oman, will be home for the plant on a 340 km2?piece of land.?
GCC overall
Here are the the best workplaces in:
Saudi ????
?? The biggest story this week is non doubt the suspension of PwC by PIF - this shows that trust is more important than ever - read?the full story here.?
It also shows that relationships should never be taken for granted and can or break your business in the GCC - need help? We offer VIP days to help you not become another PwC -?enquire here.
?? The first phase of the Sports Boulevard in Riyadh is about to be opened this week. It includes 5 sections, Wadi Hanifah, the promenade, the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University internal loop, the section at the intersection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Road and Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Awwal Road and the first phase of Sands Sports Park. This is about 40% of the overall progress or 83 kilometres.?
?? As of early February, Riyadh Metro took around 162,000 trips, transporting almost 18 million passengers with more than half of the passengers using the Blue Line. The station with the most amount of traffic is KAFD with around 3 million passengers passing through.
???? According to Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, the infrastructure completion is set for 2027, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and coinciding with the kingdom’s hosting of major events, including Expo 2030, the 2027 Asian Football Games, and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. We from Star-CaT just had the pleasure to visit it last month and it is stunning. So much history and all explained during a great tour.
?? The first phase of NEOM-The Line has been announced by Chief Development Officer, Denis Hickey. The hidden marina is leading the development. According to a report by the Saudi Gazette, the Hidden Marina will extend 2.5 kilometres and reach 500 metres in height, consisting of three connected modules designed to house more than 200,000 residents. Of the more than 140,000 workers involved more than 40% are Saudi nationals, aligning with Vision 2030.
?? Saudi Arabia has officially received the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) flag, signalling the countdown to the 10th Asian Winter Games in Neom 2029, the first of its kind to be held in West Asia. The 2029 Asian Winter Games will feature 47 events, including 28 snow-based and 19 ice-based competitions.
?? The Kingdom introduced a new symbol for their currency: Riyal
The symbol, developed to the highest technical standards, embodies the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, carrying the name of the national currency “Riyal” in a design derived from Arabic calligraphy.
???The King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah introduces ultra-modern e-gates at airports to boost aviation efficiency. Automated check-in and departure procedures are providing a smoother and more convenient traveller experience. It is the third airport in Saudi introducing the gates after King Khalid International Airport and NEOM Bay Airport.
Stats You Should Know To Become More Skilled in the Gulf In 2 Minutes…
???The UAE has around 70,000 electric vehicles at the moment and targets 25% adoption by 2035 and 50% by 2050.?
???NEOM and Data Volt announced a US$5 billion investment into a net-zero data centre for AI projects, located in the Oxagon district.?
???Dubai real estate prices continue to surge as much as outpacing cities like London, Paris and Madrid. Prime residential capital values rise by 6.8% and rental values surge by 23.5% in 2024.
???Women now own?40%?of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia.?
????Saudi is?1st in the UN Tourism Data Dashboard for growth rate of international tourism with 56% (to 27.4 million)
???Non-Oil exports grew by 18.1% in December 2024 compared to December 2023
???Saudi harvests around 9.7 million tons of dates annually
???The growth rate in the UAE is expected to rise from 4.5% to 5.6% outpacing the IMF forecasted global growth rate of 3.2%
???Qatar leads the Arab World with?61.7% female labour force participation as well as an unemployment rate of a staggering - 0.1%.
Tell us what you love most this month! We are back with more later in March.?
Corina and The Star-CaT Team ??
LinkedIn - IG - FB - Podcasts we have been on
How to work with us:
1) Want to plan ahead, understand when is a good time to go to the Gulf and what events to visit? All of these Resources can be found in the?Star-CaT Shop
2) Getting ready for your first visit or project and need a crash course? You can learn this in your own time with the?Middle East Foundation Course
3) Need a more hands on approach??Book a VIP day to get 1:1 Training
4) Want to get your Team prepared??Enquire for Team Training
Expert Providers of Wastewater Solutions | Specialists in Rail and Marine Industries | Managing Director at Servac International Marine Technologies Ltd
1 周The fun never seems to stop over there!
Associate Dean Teaching and Learning | Fellow of Higher Education Academy | Host of The Academic Room | Author of 50 Habits of Successful Networkers | Director of London Business Society |
1 周wow, so much value in this newsletter, and the 180-day visa is very good news. PwC should have consulted you first Corina Goetz.
Manager at Stagecoach Oldham, working in partnership with the BEE NETWORK and Diversity and Inclusion champion under the WHiTL project.
1 周Very informative
The Science-Backed Relationship Coach | Secure Leadership ??| Giving C-Suite Execs' Clarity on their Marriage & Career | From “DO I STAY OR GO?” to “SUCCESSFULLY IN LOVE? WITH LIFE”??| Uni of Oxford M.St | Podcast Host??
1 周Interesting read - thanks for sharing this! Corina Goetz
Experienced SEO Content Writer || Copywriter & CTR Improvement Specialist for Businesses (Local?and?Ecommerce)
1 周Exciting times ahead! Looking forward to reading about the new Riyal, PwC's challenges, and the hidden Marinas Corina