UPFRONT
UAE introduces new working week THE UAE INTRODUCED
ETIHAD LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST AIRLINE GREEN LOYALTY PROGRAMME ETIHAD GUEST, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has introduced a series of
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sustainability-focused initiatives to reward members for making ‘green’ choices and providing options to reduce their own carbon footprint. Conscious Choices supports Etihad’s overarching sustainability ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to halve 2019 emissions by 2035. Travellers wishing to fly and spend more consciously and sustainably can now earn Tier Miles and other rewards for making sustainable choices such as carrying less baggage on board. They can also offset their flights’ carbon emissions using Etihad Guest Miles. When they are not flying, members can earn Tier Miles by offsetting everyday emissions such as driving, with options ranging from one month to one year’s worth of offsets, as well as emissions such as cooling your home or cooking your dinner for a month up to a year; donating miles to a green cause; and by purchasing sustainable products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop in partnership with Collinson and CarbonClick. Members can also choose to ’go green’, by opting for a digital membership card instead of a physical one.
a new four-and-a-half-day working week for federal government entities on January 1, 2022, as well as new working hours. The new working week runs from Monday to Thursday, 7.30am to 3.30pm, and on Friday from 7.30am to 12pm. The UAE has become the first nation worldwide to introduce a national working week shorter than the global five-day week, official news agency WAM reported. The move aims to boost work-life balance and enhance social wellbeing.
EXPO 2020 DUBAI VISITS EXCEED 6.3 MILLION THE NUMBER OF VISITS to Expo 2020 Dubai crossed 6.35
million in the period up to December 13, 2021, following the mega event’s opening on October 1. Visitor numbers were boosted by music concerts, sporting events and National Day celebrations, an Expo statement said. Popular programmes included a concert by Alicia Keys at the Al Wasl Plaza on December 10, where she also unveiled her new release, JANUARY 2022
Keys; a performance by Indian singer Neha Kakkar on December 12; and another by popular Filipino artists Sponge Cola and Matthaios, as well as the Expo World Choir, which featured singers and musicians from 142 nationalities. Expo hosted 10,461 events in its first two months with more than a quarter (28 per cent) of November visitors coming from outside the UAE. Top international visitor countries included India, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. The event has given Dubai arrivals figures a boost, with the latest data from Dubai Tourism revealing the destination received 4.88 million visitors between January and October 2021. The top five source markets for the 10-month period were India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and USA respectively. Visitors stayed 4.6 nights on average, up from 4.1 in 2020.
