Fujairah and UAE Awakening to the Potential of Social Media

Getting Serious

Fujairah Businessman, Patrick Antaki, was reported (2 May 2011) at the Arabian Travel Market in connection with this statement:

“Monitoring and being active on social media sites such as TripAdvisor has become so important that Patrick Antaki, complex general manager of Le Méridien Al Aqah in Fujairah and Al Maha in Dubai said today that he is recruiting a dedicated social media manager.”

The statistics are compelling throughout our shrinking and increasingly connected world:

Globally Social Media Abuzz

• Facebook is now home to more than 600 million users
• More than half a million people join the site each day.
• A recent survey by the Pew Research stated that 61% of Americans get their news online.
• About 75% of them hear about the news through updates from social media sites or email newsletters.

Social Media growth has received a strong boost this year from unexpected sources:

Social Media in the Arab World

As Middle Eastern business people have seen the mobilizing power of Facebook and Twitter in countries such as Tunisia and Egypt they are awakening to the potential of social media to inform people and promote their own businesses.

The figures are remarkable in the UAE as this country is taking a leading role in the region:

Social Media in the UAE

• 2,054,520 Facebook Users in the UAE (latest figures from Grafdom)
• 36,841 Twitter users in the UAE (latest figures from Grafdom)

Growth of Social Media among Global Businesses

Some conference organizers are portraying the different ways in which successful companies are getting serious about social media management:

• 65% of the largest international companies now have active accounts on Twitter
• 50% of the largest international companies have a YouTube channel
• 54% of the largest international companies have a Facebook Fan Page
• 33% of the largest international companies have corporate blogs
• At the same time more and more FTSE 100 companies are interested in incorporating social media within their enterprise.
• Forward thinking companies are employing social media thinking in their recruitment, customer service, research and development and sustainability communications

Social Media and Marketing in the UAE

Social Media is no longer seen as a time-wasting fad in the UAE but a potentially powerful marketing tool.

Ponder these figures provided by Grafdom:

• 999,905 Total number of followers of Top 11 UAE Social Media Brands
• $1,048 Average online spending by UAE consumers annually
• AED 50,000 Average Social Media spending by UAE firms annually

Matter of Survival

Tony Zingale, the Chief Executive at Jive has issued this wake up call to businesses and organizations:

“If you don’t have a social strategy, inside and outside, you better get one; it’s a matter of survival as your workforce and your customers get more social.”

Sources

Grafdom Releases UAE’s First Social Media Report of Top 100 Brands, Grafdom, 5 May 2011.

Arabian Travel Market Live: Day 3 Updates, Hotelier Middle East. Com., 2 May 2011.

Where Do You Find the Latest News? Newsglobe, 3 May 2011.

A Quarter of UAE Population is on Facebook, Emirates 24/7, 18 October 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The growing range of social media marketing tools.

Obtaining a Police Clearance Certificate in Fujairah UAE

How and where does one apply for a ‘Police Clearance Certificate’ in Fujairah?

What and Why

A Police Clearance Certificate is a copy of your criminal record or a declaration of the absence of any criminal record.

It is usually requested for immigration purposes, a new job or new accommodation in the UAE or overseas.

Police, government departments, businesses and private individuals request these to prevent people who pose a risk to their country, company or accommodation from entering into the country, into employment or an accommodation agreement.

The certificates are called different names in different countries—Police Clearance Certificate, Police Check, Good Conduct Certificate, Judicial Records Extracts etc.

The wording on the certificates can differ according to the country and state.

Because they are valid for only three months the authorities requesting a Police Clearance Certificate will ask for one that is less than three months old or maybe will demand a new one.

Fujairah Process

One applies in Fujairah to the Police Station on the right side of the road to Dubai just before the last set of traffic lights (see location below on Google Maps).

The office is on the First Floor at the Fingerprints Office.

One can make application on behalf of dependants. They do not have to appear in person but all documentation needs to be presented for each person requiring a Police Clearance Certificate. Certificates are issued for each person not each family.

One needs to bring the following:

1. Emirates ID Card/s: Formerly fingerprints were taken but since the emergence of the Emirates ID card this step is no longer required.

2. Passport’s.

3. A ‘No Objection letter’ from your sponsor in Arabic and English, addressed to ‘The Police Commander, Fujairah’.

All companies have this ‘No Objection’ for a Police Clearance Certificate form letter that states on company letterhead the person’s name, nationality, Passport No., Position, Location, Date of application.

The ‘No Objection Letter’ for a Police Clearance Certificate goes something like this:

“The _________ (company name) certifies that the above named employee is holding a job according to the particulars stated.”

“The __________ (company name) has no objection to the above named employee obtaining a Police Clearance.”

“This certificate has been issued at the employee’s request and implies no responsibility on the part of the ________ (company name).”

4. AED 300 is the fee if the certificate is needed for submission to another country. The charges are different if the certificate is required from within the UAE (unsure how much). Nationals normally pay a lower fee.

Processing Time

Obtaining the certificate in Fujairah takes about 30 minutes (in contrast to Dubai where it can take between 2-3 days).

The application documents have to be signed and stamped by a number of Police Officers and departments.

The Police Clearance Certificate

This certificate is issued by the UAE Ministry of Interior, Directorate General of Fujairah Police, General Homicide.

In addition to the person’s particulars—Name, Nationality, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Passport No, Date of Issue (Passport), Place of Issue (Passport), Date of Expiry (Passport), Residence No, Date of Issue (Visa), Date of Expiry (Visa), Place of Issue (Visa), Profession—there is also a line ‘To Be Submitted To’. They might require the name and address of the company or person requesting the certificate but generally they simply write the name of the country e.g. England, New Zealand etc.

Wording

The certificates are issued in Arabic and English. It pays to check the details carefully to see that there are no mistakes.

The wording generally goes like this in English:

"Fujairah Police General Directorate Certifies that the above mentioned has no precedents till the date. He/she has been awarded this certificate upon his/her own request without any liability from the directorate towards any third party."

Remarks

The certificate lists these two remarks:

1. Any scratch or change voids this certificate.

2. This certificate is valid for three months only.

Location on Google Maps

View Fujairah Police Station in a larger map

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: A sample PCC issued by Abu Dhabi (Courtesy of Google Images).

Arab Proverb: “The Beetle is a Beauty in the Eyes…”

“The Beetle is a Beauty in the Eyes of its Mother” and

“The Beetle is a Gazelle in the Eyes of its Mother.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“The Dogs May Bark but…” FIF, 4 May 2011.

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…” FIF, 3 May 2011.

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

A Closer Look at Masdar the First Zero-Carbon City

John Vidal takes a look at Masdar City, an $18bn (£11bn) Norman Foster-designed project out from Abu Dhabi where just a few hundred people are guinea pigs in the world's most advanced laboratory for hi-tech environmental technology.

John Vidal, Masdar City—A Glimpse of the Future in the Desert, Guardian, 26 April 2011.

Masdar City—In Pictures, Guardian, 26 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

The Questions Fujairah Surveyors Will be Asking You in May 2011

Stage 3 Underway

The third and final stage of the Fujairah Updating 2011 got underway on 1 May 2011 and is progressing smoothly. Instead of the census being taken on one night (as happens in many countries) the third stage of the Fujairah census is being undertaken over a month but the answers usually relate to ‘how long’ or ‘how many’ as on 30 April 2011.

Verbal Responses

Instead of being given census forms to complete you will be asked a series of questions at your home in Fujairah. The answers will be entered into a PDA (pictured) which is a hand held computer.

‘The Head of the Home’

The surveyor will ask to speak to ‘the head of the home’ or ‘the head of the family’.

It doesn’t matter whether the woman of the home is the primary visa holder, the primary financial provider or the chief decision maker in your home for the purposes of the 2011 survey the man or father is the head of the home, in accordance with local culture.

If ‘the head of the home’ is not around the spouse will be quite acceptable in providing the answers.

All family members will be identified as to how they relate to ‘the head of the home’.

So what questions will you be asked (if they haven’t visited you already)?

How Many Families?

The first question you will be asked is: “How many families live in this residential unit?” Some residences have more than one family sharing the premises.

If there are several men (single or married) sharing a Fujairah residence they will be termed ‘bachelors’.

If an unmarried male and female happen to be sharing a Fujairah residence they will be termed ‘bachelors’.

Special Needs

You will be asked for the number of ‘Special Needs’ people that are part of your family.

In Relation to the Head

After the head of the family has given his details, information will be asked for each member of the family starting with ‘what is their relationship to the head’? e.g. wife son, daughter etc.

Domestic workers will be counted and there is provision for indicating that people like this have ‘no formal relationship’ with the ‘head of the family’.

Gender, Age, Birthplace

Details will be asked for each member of the family as to their gender, their age (as at 30 April 2011) and place of birth.

Place of Birth

If the person was born in the UAE they will be asked to state in which emirate they were born.

If they were born overseas the answer to indicate is ‘abroad’.

Religion

When you are asked to state your religion there are only three options given—Muslim, Christian and Other.

Nationality

In addition to Emirati there are a range of other options: Bedoon (those growing up in the UAE without citizenship and legal papers); Arab (with the ability to specify whether from Syria, Jordan etc.), America, Europe, Asia, Oceania etc.

Residence Duration

How many years have you resided in the UAE? This is not how many years you have lived in your current house or how many years you have been residing in Fujairah. Again this question must be asked as of 30 April 2011.

Education Status

If the age of a person is indicated as over 5 years of age questions will be asked about the educational level that they have attained by 30 April 2011.

Marital Status

If a family member is 15 years and over they will be asked to indicate their marital status—Single, Married, Divorced, Widowed.

Employment Status

Those 15 years and above will be asked about their employment status—employed, unemployed or retired.

If they are employed they will be asked to provide the name of the Company for which they work (only their primary job if they have more than one) and the employment sector in which they work—federal government, local government, private etc.

Privacy Concerns

Staff members at the Fujairah Statistics Center have stated at the various training workshops their commitment to matters of privacy.

The surveyors and the organizers of the Data Updating are bound by the strict Privacy Laws of the UAE. Their primary concern is to find out the number of buildings and people and this information will be used for statistical purposes in the emirate’s planning not as a resource for the police or legal authorities.

Related

Fujairah Surveyors Begin Knocking on Doors Tonight, FIF, 1 May 2011.

Data Collection in Fujairah is a Team Affair, FIF, 18 January 2011.

People Count in Fujairah, FIF, 16 January 2011.

Data Updating in Fujairah Conducted by Surveyors with PDAs, FIF, 29 December 2010.

Fujairah Ruler Orders Census in 2011, FIF, 26 December 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Images: This is an example of a PDA and a stylus for entering the information. The surveyor’s hand held computers have unique software devised especially for the Fujairah Data Updating (census) in 2011.

The Fujairah City Centre and the Colourful Fujairah Flavour

Update, 21/9/11

The new walls around the site of what will become the Fujairah City Centre must be the brightest and most colourful of any construction site in Fujairah.

In view of the blandness and sameness that afflicts too many malls around the world one hopes that the forthcoming Fujairah City Centre will be colourful, distinctive and expressive of the unique local flavour on the UAE’s East Coast.

Facts about the Fujairah City Centre

• Work commenced on the Fujairah City Centre on 5 April 2011.
• Completion date set for 2012.
• The Fujairah Crown Prince and the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim laid the foundation stone.
• The cost of the project: 400m AED.
• Facilities will include: cinema, cafes, restaurants, 100 specialty stores including Carrefour, Magic Planet and Home Centre.
• Expected to be the first retail development in Fujairah to achieve a LEED gold rating for green building design.
• The FCC will create more than 1200 jobs.
• Developers: Majid Al Futtaim (MAF)-see this link for notes on the Fujairah Project.
• It is the sixth mall in the UAE carrying the Majid Al Futtaim Properties name and standards.
• Partnership: The FCC is being developed by MAF in partnership with the government owned Fujairah Investment Establishments.
• Project Manager: MACE.

Locate it on Google Maps

View Fujairah City Centre in a larger map

Related

The Malling of Fujairah, FIF, 3 May 2011.

Fujairah Commercial Complex Rising Rapidly, FIF, 29 April 2011.

Crown Prince of Fujairah Opens New UAE Project, MACE, 3 May 2011.

Building Boom at Fujairah’s Gateway, FIF, 6 March 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The new coloured fences around the Fujairah City Centre Construction site; His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi participates in the ground-breaking ceremony of the Fujairah City Centre on 5 April 2011. (Photo courtesy of MACE)

Arab Proverb: “The Dogs May Bark but…”

“The Dogs May Bark but the Caravan Moves On.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…” FIF, 3 May 2011.

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

The Malling of Fujairah

Growing Up

Much has been made in recent days of Fujairah getting its first shopping mall, almost as if getting a mall is the rite of passage that admits a city from childhood into adolescence.

A Mall is a Mall is…

Those who take a swipe at Dubai often speak of it in derogatory terms as a ‘city of malls’. A mall doesn’t usually have the character of the traditional shopping strips but there’s something to be said for an air-conditioned shopping centre in this land, especially when the mercury is hovering around 50C.

Colourless Malls

The malls that have a depressive effect on shoppers are those that look and feel the same regardless of where it is in the world that you’re shopping.

That’s why I like the smell of malls in the UAE where you enter a new arcade and you receive a strong whiff of Arabic perfumes or you visit a shop and you’re greeted with an incense burner and a cloud of oud.

Everywhere and Nowhere

In 1989 Michael Galinsky toured America and documented shopping malls across the country with his cheap Nikon camera. As he has recently got around to putting them into a video collection he writes:

I shot about 30 rolls of slide film in malls from Long Island to North Dakota to Seattle. It was hard to tell from the images where they were taken, and that was kind of the point. I was interested in the creeping loss of regional differences. I thought a lot about (photographer Robert) Frank's "The Americans" as we drove from place to place without any sense of place.

A Sense of Place

The lovely feature about Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall is the way it tells a local story and has been developed according to a Middle Eastern theme.

It would be a shame when the malls of Fujairah open and we walk around thinking that this could be a mall in Melbourne, Manchester or Montreal.

Hopefully the designers of the malls in Fujairah will create places that strongly reflect the local and regional distinctiveness of our eastern emirate.

Related

Fujairah Commercial Complex Rising Rapidly, FIF, 29 April 2011.

Fujairah’s Lulu Hypermarket Developing into Shopping Mall, FIF, 15 June 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: “The lovely feature about Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall, is the way it tells a local story and has been developed according to a Middle Eastern theme.”

What About Creating a Fujairah Calendar and a UAE Calendar?

The digital Dubai Calendar has been officially launched by His Highness, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai.

What a great idea this is!

Fujairah Calendar

It would be a wonderful asset to have a Fujairah Calendar to inform residents and tourists of forthcoming Fujairah events and make for much better planning and promotion of events large and small.

UAE Calendar

Furthermore, it would be useful for each emirate to have a calendar for their events that uses the same technology plus a UAE Calendar that bears the dates of national significance?

Congratulations to Dubai Events and Promotions for their innovation.

Related

Check the Dates on the Fujairah Calendar, FIF, 21 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Arab Proverb: “In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…”

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by Caravan, while the Fool Prefers to Travel Alone.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

New Name and Facelift Needed for 'Madhab Sulpheric Spring Park' Fujairah

Fujairah’s Madhab Sulpheric Spring Park is looking tired and in need of substantial renovation.

This park, also called ‘Ain Mudhab’ (Mudhab Spring), needs a new name because those visiting to see and bathe in sulphur spring water will be disappointed.

There’s a small fountain of mineral water for display purposes near the entrance to the park but the mineral water that formerly filled the swimming pools and paddling channels in the park appears to have dried up.

Unfortunately Fujairah’s hot springs at Ain Al Ghamour have also suffered the same fate.

Reputation for Mineral Springs

For years the hot springs in Madhab have been frequented by people wanting to benefit from the medicinal properties that eased rheumatism, arthritis and other aches.

Early Tourist Resort

In the mid-1970s the Fujairah Government’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fish Resources spent Dh6 mill on creating the 15 acre Madhab Sulpheric Spring Park, developing swimming pools (male and female), beautifying the place with trees and flowers and establishing a resort with overnight cabins for families, recreational facilities, children’s equipment, aviaries and a cafeteria.

Large musical and cultural concerts have been staged over the years in the park where there is an outdoor platform and sound shell.

The 15 acre Madhab Park (or ‘National Park’) has over the years become associated with the wider Madhab development that includes the Heritage Village, a cricket ground and an animal enclosure where new work is progressing at the moment.

Tired and Worn

Today, the trees are well established and there’s plenty of space for picnics. Most who visit come to use the swimming pools. The cabins are old and are not very attractive, according to some who work at the park. The playground equipment is old. The bird enclosures are sad. The sign in the cafeteria listing the items on sale looks like it hasn’t changed for decades.

Potential

People continue to visit and enjoy their time at the Madhab Park, especially in the weekends.

The location is superb under the magnificent Hajar Mountains. The many types of trees are mature.

This park could have a bright future if new signs indicated the new reality about the mineral water and if it received a fresh injection of funds for renovation and development.

Location

The northern end of Al Ittihad Street, which runs down the left side of the Ruler’s Palace.

GPS Coordinates (courtesy of one tourist): 25 08’ 26.41” N; 56 18’ 59.01”E

See it on Google Maps

View Madhab Sulpheric Spring Park and Surrounds in a larger map

Open every day except Sunday.

Current Fees (this will inevitably increase)

Entrance to the Park: Children Dh1; Adults Dh2

Swimming Pool: Children Dh5; Adults Dh5 (Children under 8 need parental supervision)

Rooms for Rent (Only for families not bachelors): Dh150, Dh200, Dh300

Take a Look

Visit and draw your own conclusions or have a look at the pictures in this photo album.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Arab Proverb: “To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…”

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with their Proverbs.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You Enter.” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.