Travellers Vote Dubai International As Middle East’s Best Airport

Dubai International has been voted as the Middle East’s best airport by readers of Business Traveller, the internationally acclaimed travel magazine, in a survey for 2009. The readers also voted Dubai International as the Best Airport in the Middle East for Duty Free Shopping.

The award in the best airport category is given based on excellence in delivery of customer service, particularly in areas such as baggage delivery, check-in, and frontline services. Airport facilities and duty-free shopping are some of the major factors that play a role in the voting for the awards. Survey forms are included in Business Traveller magazine and sent to all regional subscribers, a large percentage of which turns them in with their choice.

In the world’s best airport category, Dubai International finished second only to Singapore’s Changi Airport, the winner this year.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Dubai International has won the region’s best airport award. Dubai International has won over 14 regional and international awards between 2008 and 2009 - nearly triple the number of awards in the preceding year, and the highest in a year to date.

"At Dubai Airports, we aspire to be the world’s best airport in every sense, but most of all in the quality of our customer service. While all awards and recognitions evoke a sense of pride at Dubai Airports, the Business Traveller Award is truly special because it is the travellers - our customers, who choose the winner. Winning this award tells us that our efforts at continually enhancing our customer service are making a difference, and that we are headed in the right direction," said, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers on May 4, on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market 2009. Griffiths received the award on behalf of Dubai Airports from the guest of honour Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Head of easyGroup - best known for creating the low cost airline easyJet in 1995.

Dubai One – Out & About This Week

Want to be kept up-to-date on what’s happening in Dubai? Well what better place to get your weekly rundown of what’s in store for the week ahead than with Out & About This Week on Dubai One, the 24-hour free-to-air English language entertainment channel part of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI).Last week (Aired 29 April) we learnt some new steps in time for World Dance Day. Layne showed us his moves on the dance floor as he found out about the Columbian dance sensation which hit The First Group Madinat Theatre, whilst Punam learnt a move or two at the latest hip hop dance troupe to takeover Dubai, The Nike Rockstar Workout. We also took rock to a new level at the kids’ rock challenge event running from 30 April to the 4 May. Then from jewellery and antiques to Art, we had an exclusive sneak peak behind the scenes of the famous Christies auction that was in town on the 28 and 29 April and met some kids with some zany ideas at the Car Art Festival at Festival City.This week (Airing 6 May) the sky is the limit as Layne takes part in a Vertical Marathon at The Emirates Towers to raise money for Medecins Sans Frontiers with support of the Red Crescent to coincide with Red Cross Day on 8 May, before joining Punam on the latest dining experience taking Dubai to new heights, the Sky Dinner. Punam and Layne enjoy a meal on a 50 foot high platform overlooking The Walk. Once Layne finds his feet he gets a new suit tailored just for him at the newly opened Logsdale where he is dressed like a gentleman just in time to visit the stage of the Would Be Gentlemen, a play running at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre on the 8 and 9 May. We will also have an exclusive interview with the musical group The Charlatans and Arab Superstar Ragheb Alama.Next Week (Airing 13 May) we are reading through our dictionaries in preparation for the Dubai Scrabble Tournament. Layne is in the spotlight as he has a photo session at the famous Stewart Williamson studios, meanwhile Punam visits Dubai in 1962, a new exhibition at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre which shows us how Dubai has changed in the last 50 years through photos. Punam also reminds us of the importance of recycling as she takes on the Emirates Environmental Group’s challenge to collect as many cans as she can by May 28 whilst Layne faces his own challenge with White Collar Boxing.For all this and more, join us on Out & About This Week on Dubai One, Wednesdays at 9.00pm.
 

Zegna’s S/S 2009 Accessories Epitomise The Luxury Lifestyle

Ermenegildo Zegna, the global men’s luxury fashion brand, offers a range of spring/summer 2009 accessories to keep the contemporary gentleman in step with the season’s relaxed elegance.

The iconic Italian fashion house’s Heritage collection bags include a Boston travel holdall and an attaché case made of the finest crocodile leathers. Exquisitely crafted and hand polished, these investment pieces are sure to become tomorrow’s sophisticated classics. Colours such as black, tan and bordeaux add a dash of urbane masculinity that enhances the season’s business or leisure wardrobe.

Limited Edition Shoes display Zegna’s mark of impeccable craftsmanship. Also hand crafted and hand buffed, the leather has a two-tone coloured effect while the Goodyear Construction sole provides superior flexibility and durability. Each pair comes in a handsome leather chest complete with cherry wood shoe horns, a shoe buffer and a leather care kit.

Sunglasses from the Zebrano Eyewear collection feature the luxurious material and sleek lines characteristic of modern Italian chic. Aviators have ‘60s-inspired two-tone acetate and lightweight metal frames, as well as Zebrano wood arms and trims. Bamboo, Madagascar rosewood and Moore oak are some of the wood varieties chiseled to perfection and paired with high-quality lenses, displaying the harmony between natural material and technological innovation.

Ermenegildo Zegna accessories are available from the brand’s boutiques at The Dubai Mall, The Boulevard - Emirates Towers and the Mall of the Emirates, a corner shop at Saks Fifth Avenue – Burjuman Centre and selected Rodeo Drive boutiques across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Most Unforgettable Dining Experiences

• Al Nafoorah, Emirates Towers Dubai’s top Lebanese restaurant offers an opulent dining room leading to a lovely outdoor terrace facing the Dubai skyline. Service is as inspired as the cooking, focused on seafood and authentic Lebanese cuisine. (Phone 4/ 319-8088) • The Beach Bar & Grill One&Only Royal Mirage A personal favorite, this is where to come for an inspired lunch or romantic dinner on the beach. Fresh seafood and grilled steaks are served in the Moroccan-designed dining room or out on the beachfront deck. (Phone 4/399-9999) • Benjarong Dusit Dubai The Dusit Dubai’s signature restaurant serves outstanding Royal Thai cuisine from a la carte or set-course menus. Service is among the best you will find in Dubai. (Phone 4/343- 3333) • Bice Hilton Dubai Jumeirah The trendy Italian restaurant packs with a “who’s who” of Dubai who come dressed to kill. Fortunately, the food is not lost on the scene, with outstanding classic Italian dishes prepared by Chef Andrea Mugavero. (Phone 4/ 399-1111) • The Exchange Grill Fairmont Dubai Few restaurants take steak as seriously as the Exchange Grill, modeled after New York’s Oak Room. The chef serves 1855 USDA certified Angus as well as the world’s most expensive beef, Mayura Station Gold Wagyu. Expect to spend a pretty penny, and to spend it in style. (Phone 4/311-8316) • Shabestan Radisson SAS Although Persian food is widely available in Dubai, Shabestan offers the best. The exotic dining room is reminiscent of a sultan’s palace, and evenings bring live Persian music and a romantic ambience. (Phone 4/222- 7171) • Verre Hilton Dubai Creek London-based Gordon Ramsay holds the most Michelin stars of any chef, and you can experience his impeccable modern European cuisine at Verre, an elegant dining space characterized by minimalist decor. (Phone 4/ 227-1111)