Travel/Tourism
Spring Beckons: 10 Fresh Ideas for Family Fun across Dubai This Season
If you’re looking for ways to spend time together as a family this spring, think Dubai for all manner of exciting activities and experiences. From outdoor sports to inspiring cooking classes, to culturally-enriching art exhibitions, we present below fresh ideas on how to make the most of your holiday in the emirate this Spring.
Tour the Town
A walking tour is a great way to discover the best of what a city has to offer. And now, thanks to a collaboration between Dubai Tourism and two digital tour apps, you can discover and learn more with what is, essentially, a virtual tour guide in your pocket – and it won’t cost you a dirham. The tours, titled ‘Metro Moments’ (available on the Voice Map app), and ‘Al Fahidi Architecture Tour’ (available on the on the Pocket Guide app), are available to download from the Apple Store and Google Play. They use GPS technology to provide users with audio guides to various points of interest in real time, as you progress from one to the next.
Hand Over the Reigns
One of the best things about taking some time off from the grind of everyday life is the fact that you don’t have to sit behind a wheel during rush hour. Yet it’s hard to switch to “holiday mode” when you’re worried about keeping your little ones happy and safe – which is why it’s great that taxi company Careem now offers a kids’ service – a vehicle dedicated to families that are equipped with a universal child car seat that’s suitable for kids up to 30kg. Drivers are also specially-trained Careem Kids Captains, who are pros at safely installing and altering the seat sizes, and who can help you to look after your family while you also take a “holiday” from the driver’s seat.
Go on Safari
Hop over to Dubai Safari, where you and your family will be able to experience an incredible array of creatures, big and small. Not only is there a truly impressive collection of unique wildlife for the whole family to “meet”, there are also plenty of edutainment-focused activities that mean there’s heaps of learning and fun to be had, while specially-trained guides inform about the flora and fauna you come across.
Cook up a Storm
Take a family cooking class and learn the essentials and perfect some useful life skills at the Culinary Boutique in Jumeirah, a cooking school and café featuring speciality classes dedicated to certain types of cuisine. It also features Family Day sessions and Kids Cooking Lessons, specially designed for families and little ones. Take a class here and you’ll be able to enjoy the meal you made together afterwards.
Paint a Picture
Head to The Jam Jar in Dubai’s Al Quoz area, where you can rent all the painting equipment you need before unleashing your and your family’s creativity in the onsite studio. They supply everything – from brushes, paints, and canvases, to helpful staff that assists you if you need help or inspiration – and you can, of course, take your artwork home at the end of the session. Why not make it a family challenge to each paint your favorite memory from Dubai so far?
Make a Splash
Few places do edutainment better than Legoland Dubai, a park that was exclusively created to cater for families with children aged 2-12. Whether you’re exploring Miniland, an impressive array of structures and recreations of entire areas of Dubai and other famous landmarks around the world made entirely out of Lego bricks, heading to The Factory arena to see how some of the products are produced (and perhaps walking home with your own customised Lego brick), or just enjoying the wide variety of land- and water-based rides, you’re guaranteed to head home with satisfied, smiling faces, who might also have learned a new thing or two.
Find Adventure
If the thought of streams, waterfalls, fountains, trees, and gardens, complete with tree houses, wooden bridges and climbing nets, not to mention a sandy play area, petting zoo, and even a “mud kitchen”, gets your kids excited, then it’s time to put Dubai’s new XPark Jr on your “must visit” list. Located next to Jumeirah’s XDubai Skatepark close to Kite Beach, this adventure park was specially designed for little ones and families, to allow children to take healthy risks in an environment where they can build confidence, make friends, inspire their imagination, and defy their limits in a positive way.
Skate it Out
Dubai’s burgeoning skateboarding scene offers some truly impressive facilities for skateboarders (or hopeful skateboarders) where there are ramps to suit every ability, and lessons to help improve your technique. If you’re seeking an alfresco vibe, head to XDubai Skatepark near Kite Beach. There are plenty of spots from which parents can watch or if your kids prefer a bit of space while they’re trying out their new tricks, you can easily pop over to one of the nearby beachside cafés and restaurants. For indoor skating, make your way to The Zoo Skatepark in Al Quoz – Dubai’s largest indoor skate venue and one of the city’s most extensive.
Fun and Games
Calling all mini-golf fans! While golf often gets a bad rap as a private, exclusive sport, the miniature version is open to the entire family and promises fun for all – especially somewhere like Tee and Putt. It’s the only place in the UAE that offers a glow-in-the-dark golfing facility, and they’ve recently introduced a new concept that blends mini-golf with the ‘escape room’ concept, creating a unique puzzle-style golf challenge where participants have to solve nine puzzles on nine holes in one hour. Good luck!
Run the Good Race
The racing track at Dubai Autodrome isn’t just a place for adrenaline-fuelled adults – it’s actually a great way to spend a day with the family, and it’s suitable for all ages. The Dubai Kartdrome has become a hub for kids’ parties and teen activities, and there’s no need to worry since safety always comes first: all packages include helmets, overalls, gloves, marshals, mechanics, safety crews, medical support, timing, and a coordinator. Whether it’s a birthday, group event, or just a fun day out, you and your family won’t forget the experience in a hurry.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
1 Comment