A fleet of luxurious yachts bobbing in the harbour are among the many five-star choices as Dubai pulls out all of the stops for well-heeled soccer fans who wish to watch the World Cup in fashion.
Those with out tickets however with hundreds of {dollars} to spare can view video games on an enormous display screen from the highest deck of a $20 000-a-night yacht, in opposition to a backdrop of the Gulf monetary hub’s skyline.
With greater than a touch of Dubai’s trademark bling, the three-storey, 140-foot (43 metres) vessel has an enormous display screen, jacuzzi, bar and a swanky lounge with L-shaped couches and a glittering crystal leopard statue.
The United Arab Emirates metropolis, an hour’s flight from World Cup host Qatar, is among the many Gulf locations anticipating to money in on a spillover of fans looking for extra lodging choices and simpler entry to alcohol.
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“This one is for $20 000 for an overnight charter,” Xclusive Yachts advertising and marketing supervisor Jainney Thakker instructed AFP, stating the boat’s options.
“We have a chef on board who offers gourmet cuisine from all over the world,” Thakker added, in addition to “free-flowing champagne”.
The boat, which may accommodate as much as 125 individuals, is amongst quite a few pristine white yachts at Dubai’s Marina Harbour, docked and prepared for the inflow of fans as soon as the event kicks off on Sunday.
In considered one of its rooms, a big eating desk flanked by upholstered chairs and bouquets of white roses is ready with glass plates and silver cutlery.
An outside jacuzzi provides uninterrupted views from the strict. And for anybody who desires to sail to Qatar throughout the World Cup, the identical firm provides a separate bundle for a cool $100 000 for a roughly six-day journey.
‘Dubai Bling’
Thakker mentioned her firm has obtained greater than 15 nightly bookings up to now, principally for teams of two to 3 individuals.
“The people who are booking with us are definitely the real VIPs… you know owners of super-cars, some of the really creme (de la creme) crowd,”
she mentioned.
On shore, Dubai is gearing up with fan zones at parks, seashores and in the monetary centre, whereas resorts are providing particular packages.
Entrance to at least one fan zone in Dubai Harbour, with 330-square-metre screens, is $21 for a standing area.
But a lounge desk for eight individuals prices greater than $920, whereas a premium suite for 15 is promoting for $3,676, together with limitless booze.
The high-end choices reinforce Dubai’s well-cultivated status as a luxurious vacation spot, a picture burnished by a sequence of actuality TV reveals together with Netflix’s “Dubai Bling”, a global hit.
World cup visas
The present, following a forged described as millionaires, has topped the platform’s viewing lists throughout the Middle East, though some object to the depiction of a metropolis that can be house to swathes of low-skilled migrant staff.
To coax World Cup fans, the UAE is providing multiple-entry visas on the nominal charge of 100 dirhams ($27) to visiting supporters.
Budget airline flydubai will run not less than 30 return flights a day to Doha, a part of a each day airlift of 160 shuttle providers from Gulf cities laid on for the World Cup.
“Dubai’s and to some extent Abu Dhabi’s luxury market is probably best placed among the other Gulf economies, excluding Qatar, to benefit from the World Cup,”
mentioned James Swanston of Capital Economics.
“A more liberal atmosphere relative to other Gulf counterparts … makes it conducive for tourists to visit,”
he added.
One Dubai resort, on the man-made, frond-shaped Palm island, can be given over solely to soccer fans.
But it’s not all champagne soccer for fans in Dubai. As a worldwide inflation disaster sends costs hovering, many residents say they are going to forego World Cup festivities to avoid wasting on prices.
“I’ll subscribe (to World Cup games on TV)… and watch it at home,”
mentioned Tony, a 36-year-old Lebanese father of 1.
© Agence France-Presse
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