Pictured: Opposite: Abu Dhabi sunset; Below: Bahrain; Bottom: Tel Aviv
Bahrain Manama
The tiny island state has been one of the few Gulf countries to feel the full force of the Arab Spring, with ongoing demonstrations demanding solutions to socio-economic and human rights issues. Possible answers could be promised financial aid from fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members to allow investment in areas such as housing, while the government in Manama has responded positively to United Nations demands to guarantee citizens’ rights. The economy is fuelled by oil and a growing banking and financial services sector. From London Heathrow, Gulf Air flies to
Bahrain twice-daily, British Airways daily, with Lufthansa flying once a day from Frankfurt.
Egypt Cairo
After three decades under the late Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is looking to new president Mohamed Morsi to introduce a wide-ranging reform programme after long-running demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding social justice. The Egyptian capital is the country’s political, commercial and cultural centre, its driving force tourism. Egyptair serves Cairo 12 times a week
from London Heathrow, while BA flies daily. Lufthansa operates twice-daily out of Frankfurt and four times a week from Munich, KLM has three flights a week from Amsterdam Schiphol, and Air France offers a daily service out of Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Iran Tehran Although the British Government does not encourage trade with Iran, its athletes came to London 2012 and went home with an impressive tally of 12 Olympic medals. This is reported to have lifted spirits in a country ostracised by UN sanctions and condemned for its alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. Despite this, the capital of Tehran is modern and prosperous, its economy based on the automobile, military hardware, textiles, sugar, cement and chemical industries. What business the UK does with Iran is conducted mainly through Dubai. Iran Air flies from Heathrow to Tehran three times a week, with BA operating twice a week. Lufthansa has a daily service out of Frankfurt, and KLM operates four times a week from Schiphol. Oman Air launched flights from Muscat to Tehran at the beginning of September.
Iraq Baghdad
After almost nine years of conflict, the war in Iraq officially ended in December last year. Unrest may linger on, but Baghdad, the capital of a country rich in history and culture, is determinedly rebuilding its economy. This offers business opportunities
in a wide range of sectors to UK companies not looking for a quick return on investment and who have the patience to overcome bureaucratic hurdles. There are no direct flights from the UK to Baghdad. Among the alternatives is to travel on regional services, which include Gulf Air from Bahrain, Qatar Airways out of Doha, and Emirates from Dubai.
Israel Tel Aviv
Israel is traditionally a land of milk and honey for UK businesses. Exports to the country continue to grow at a tidy rate, with bilateral trade expected to reach £3billion by 2015. The bulk of this is channelled through the commercial hub, the second city of Tel Aviv, a major player in high technology, with numerous advanced computer companies and scientific research institutes based in town. Also important to the economy are many venture capital firms. From Heathrow, British Airways serves
Tel Aviv twice daily, El Al 11 times a week, plus two flights a week from London Luton. Lufthansa flies twice-daily from Frankfurt, five times a week from Munich, and twice-weekly from Berlin. KLM offers daily flights from Amsterdam Schiphol to Tel Aviv, and Air France departs twice-daily from Paris CDG. ➔
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THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 79
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