ArabWeeks

In a bid to encourage Saudi visitors to explore the GREAT British countryside, VisitBritain today unveiled the second edition of the ‘Dunes to GREAT Britain’ marketing campaign in Riyadh during a launch event at the British Ambassador’s Residence. In 2013, the first edition – ‘Dunes to Dales’ – focused on discovering Manchester and the Yorkshire Dales through 4 GCC nationals who cycled through the Dales. This year, social travel pioneers, Peeta Planet’s Mohammed and Peyman AlAwadhi introduce ‘Dunes to Peaks’, which maintains Manchester as an exciting city base and introduces the Peak District, a world class holiday destination, just 45 minutes’ drive from Manchester, which offers fabulous countryside holiday experiences.

Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Riyadh, Richard Wildash said ‘I’m delighted that there has been a growing interest in the British countryside from Saudis who visit the UK and venture beyond our cities.  With this campaign we invite you to enjoy with us the beauty and tranquillity of the British countryside and its wildlife, in its changing seasons.  Every year we welcome over 100,000 Saudi visitors to the UK and we hope that more and more of them will travel into the countryside to feel close to nature and share the pleasure of those who live there.’

The AlAwadhi brothers were joined by GCC social media enthusiasts living in Britain. The Abduls, fashion bloggers from KSA and Sara Al Hammad, the Kuwaiti food author, played a vital role in showcasing the shopping, fashion, food and lifestyle opportunities that the countryside has to offer, joining the brothers on some of their most exciting experiences.

Mohammed and Peyman AlAwadhi, mentioned: “For many GCC citizens the UK is a top annual destination for personal and family trips. That’s why we are very excited to work with Visit Britain on a social travel campaign that showcases a side of the UK most tourists don’t realize exists, and play a role in strengthening the tourism ties between both regions.

We travelled west to Manchester and the Peak District to see the many attractions the area had to offer. It’s one thing to hear about our adventures and another to actually see it. That’s why we created a series of videos of all the places we visited, food we ate, people we met and the exciting things we did.

With travel between both regions being as easy and convenient as it is today, we hope our Visit Britain series inspires more Gulf Nationals and their families to experience the GREAT diversity that the UK has to offer its visitors. There’s something for everyone and we hope you try something a little different on your next trip!”

The brothers experienced a variety of different activities that proved both exciting and gave them a fresh perspective to what Britain had to offer. From shopping at Trafford Centre, exploring one of Manchester’s most exciting kids attractions; the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre to going behind the scenes at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium, home of football rivals Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, Manchester definitely beat all their expectations.

The Peaks District was none the less, the highlight of the trip.  Sat high up in a 1929 vintage car was the ideal way to show off the picturesque views of the British countryside. Attractions such as fly fishing and the award-winning Go Ape! High wire forest course of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zip slides in the trees got their adrenaline going, and definitely appealed to their senses was their visit to the town of Bakewell its deliciously infamous Bakewell Pudding.

Their entire adventure is captured on the newly launched Arabic version of VisitBritain’s award-winning website, lovewall.visitbritain.com. GCC residents also stand a chance to win a ‘Dunes to Peaks’ experience by entering the competition on www.visitbritain.com/dunestopeaks. All they have to do is check out the videos and create their own itinerary based on what they liked. Content is shareable on social media networks through the hash tag #DunesToPeaks and الكثبان_والقمم#. The more they share, the higher their chances of winning.

Sumathi Ramanathan, VisitBritain’s Regional Manager, Asia Pacific & Middle East said: ‘Britain welcomes just fewer than 600,000 visitors from the GCC and the majority of them spend their holidays in the big cities as the awareness of a British countryside holiday is still low. With the new Arabic website, travellers have the option of researching a variety of holiday ideas in Arabic and we hope they will be inspired to extend their city breaks into the beautiful countryside.’

Annique Labuschagne, Manager GCC Markets, remarked: Dunes to Peaks is our second edition and we are very excited about collaborating with Peeta Planet to introduce the Peak District via Manchester. Next year, we intend to introduce a new part of the British countryside offering to the GCC audience and through a consistent ‘Dunes to GREAT Britain’ campaign theme.” added Labuschagne.

Arcapita, the global alternative investment manager, announced today that it has successfully raised its targeted $100 million in equity capital from shareholders in the GCC region to fund its growth strategy.

Arcapita is now focused on two clear areas of opportunity: asset management of an existing $3 billion investment portfolio and the growth opportunity of new Shari’ah-compliant alternative investment products and services.

The new equity will allow Arcapita to grow its asset management capabilities and develop further revenue streams. The firm will focus on originating investments in asset classes, sectors and geographical regions where its management has built significant expertise over the past 17 years.

Mr. Atif A. Abdulmalik, Arcapita’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “Arcapita was formed to originate high-quality Shari’ah-compliant alternative investment opportunities for investors. With the support of our shareholders and investor base, we have built a strong platform to source and manage Shari’ah compliant investments worldwide. Over the last 17 years, Arcapita’s investment professionals have completed more than 70 investments with a transaction value of approximately $30 billion across the globe.”

Arcapita will initially pursue new investment opportunities within the GCC region followed by other international markets including the US, Asia and Europe. Arcapita’s investment teams will offer real estate and private equity investments on a “deal-by-deal” and funds basis to a select group of investors. In addition, Arcapita will offer services, including asset management and advisory services.

Mr. Abdulaziz H. Aljomaih, Arcapita’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, added, “We are pleased that the equity offering was oversubscribed and to have expanded our shareholder base to include a prominent group of sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, high net worth individuals and family offices from across GCC region.”

As well as growing the shareholder base, Arcapita will expand its Board of Directors, adding further depth and specialist experience and strengthening the firm’s governance structure. The expanded Board of Directors will consist of Mr. Abdulaziz H. Aljomaih, Head of International Investments at Aljomaih Holding Co.; Mr. Ghazi F. Al Nafisi, Co-Founder and Chairman of Salhia Real Estate Company K.S.C.; Mr. Abdulrahman A. Al Muhanna, Managing Director and Member of the Board of Directors of Almarai Company; Mr. Amer A. Al Fahim, a Supervisory Board Member of Al Fahim Group; Mr. Khalid J. Bin Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Investments PJSC; Mr. Usama M. Al Barwani, Executive Director of MB Holding; Mr. Noor Rahman Abid, previously the Assurance Leader for Ernst and Young in the Middle East; a member from Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company; and Mr. Atif A. Abdulmalik, Chief Executive Officer of Arcapita.

Arcapita’s business strategy reflects a commitment to generating long-term value for its shareholders and clients through a risk-adjusted investment approach. The firm’s business model will leverage long-standing relationships with its investors and operating partners. Arcapita’s balance sheet is fully-equity funded and the firm will aim to maintain a lower and more flexible cost base relative to its peers.

Arcapita recorded net income of approximately $10.1 million during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. The firm’s global investment management talent operates from its offices in Bahrain, Atlanta, London and Singapore.

The equity offering for a related Bahraini entity will be completed after obtaining certain regulatory approvals.