Top 10 Most Viewed Articles In 2013

1. Expo 2020 Live Blog

Our Expo 2020 live blog on November 27 emerged as the most read article on the site.

Clearly many of our readers were fixed to their screens as they awaited the final decision on who would host the event.

The live blog began 10 hours before the first round of voting and eventually ended at around 9:15pm on the news that Dubai had beaten competition from the Russian city of Ekaterinburg in a final show down.

To offer the best coverage possible we split our team in the evening between the office and a countdown party for business leaders at DIFC’s Capital Club, offering a combination of the most up to date information and industry comment.

2: Major Earthquake In Iran, Shocks Felt In Dubai

People from across the GCC, Middle East and South Asia felt tremors from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Iran on April 16.

Our story, which was published in the immediate aftermath of the tremors that shook our offices in Dubai, proved a significant attraction for readers looking to find out what had happened.

3: Expo 2020: How Does The Voting Process Work?

Continuing on our Expo theme, an article we published in the lead-up to the Expo 2020 vote was the third most read article on the site this year.

Readers were clearly curious to find out the details of the voting process the day before on November 26, including the different timings of the final presentations and when the ballot was set to begin.

4: Dubai Expo 2020 Win Will Spur Property Market – CBRE

In the buildup to Expo 2020, one of the most contentious issues was the impact the result would have on Dubai’s property market. Therefore our article on November 26 based on a report by property consultant CBRE proved very popular with readers.

“A positive result would mean new people, new visitors and new interest in Dubai, with international coverage and global exposure in what at the very least would be a wonderful PR event for the UAE, and at the very best a springboard to establish Dubai as an internationally recognised global city,” stated the report.

Also suggesting that the recent increase in property prices had already factored in momentum from Dubai winning Expo 2020.

5: Revealed: The World’s Worst Passports For Travel

Our article on October 1, showing which citizens have the least freedom of travel and face maximum visa restrictions proved controversial, with many readers from the countries listed expressing their opinions in the comment section.

Passports ranked worst for travel on the 2013 Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index included Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Eritrea, Nepal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kosovo and Lebanon. Ranked highest were Finland, Sweden, and the UK.

6: UAE Announces Eid Al Adha, National Day and Islamic New Year Holidays

For expats living in the GCC the dates of national holidays can be confusing, with many taking to the web to find out more. It was no surprise therefore, that our summaries of the holiday announcements for Eid Al Adha, UAE National Day and Islamic New Year, attracted significant traffic in 2013.

7: Dubai Expo 2020 Win: Top 10 Gainers

Our comprehensive article following Dubai’s Expo 2020 win proved popular, with readers looking for a summary of the impact victory would have for the emirate. Sectors covered included banking, airlines, retail, hotels, recruitment, DEWA, construction and transport, while gains included increases to GDP, jobs, tourism and improved transport infrastructure.

7: iPhone 5S Expected To Launch In UAE By Year-End

Clearly many readers in the UAE were interested in Apple’s latest flagship device, the iPhone 5S, around the time of its announcement. They viewed our article on September 10 looking to find out when they could get their hands on one.

8.Top 100 Powerful Arabs

Our list of the top 100 powerful Arabs is always a popular feature in the magazine and it achieved similar momentum when it was uploaded online.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, founder and chairman of Saudi’s Kingdom Holding Company topped the list following a successful 2012 which saw his share price double and profits leap by 10.6 per cent.

Emirates airline and Emirates NBD chairman Sheikh Ahmed ranked second, followed in third place by Khalid Al-Falih, who resides over Saudi oil firm Aramco, thought to be the world’s most valuable unlisted company.

9: Dubai Expo 2020 Win: Schools Closed On Thursday

Following Dubai’s Expo success HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum declared that all schools and educational institutions would be closed the following day (November 28) much to the joy of students and school children.

The announcement was made through Dubai Media Office’s Twitter page on the evening of Wednesday 27, following Dubai’s successful bid in Paris, meaning for many that the web was the main source of information.

10: Reactions To Dubai’s Expo 2020 Win

In the immediate aftermath of the Expo 2020 win we posted a series of reaction articles from Dubai’s business elite, sharing their congratulations and insight on what the expo means for the emirate.

Most popular was this one featuring comment from: Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre; Gerald Lawless, executive chairman, Jumeirah Group; Thierry Antinori, EVP and chief commercial officer, Emirates and Dr Amina Al Rustamani, group CEO of TECOM Investments.