CI T Y O N T H E MOVE The pandemic brought a whole new set of challenges, which, in turn resulted in going about business with a new perspective CURT CLEMENTS CEO, MOVE ONE Staff temperature checks are now an established part of businesses due diligence E-Movers LLC is another FIDI Affiliate with operations based in Dubai, and General Manager Roy Augustin has a positive outlook on prospects, despite the challenges of 2020. He recalls: Volume for inbound shipment was reduced to very minimal levels until late June, which was directly connected with travel restrictions for incoming people and a pause in issuing residency visas. The volume bounced back from July and the trend continues. Augustin adds: With the majority of the UAE being expats, its a floating population, and we are quite sure that business will become normal sooner rather than later. As soon as global travel restrictions are lifted, things will be back to normal. DONT WRITE OFF THE UAE RAHUL PILLAI, CEO, INTEREM While there is no doubt that the global health crisis came as a hammer blow to Dubai and other locations around the world, it would be foolish to write off the UAE as a result. This business hub has a habit of confounding expectations. Although the wealth of this Emirate was founded on oil, the UAE is not a totally petroleumbased economy. As DASAs Simone Percy points out: We have world-class hotels and facilities here for tourists and business visitors. Sadly, when everything was locked down and the world stayed at home, these were the sectors hit the hardest. But, 2021 marks 50 years of the UAE and we have the World Expo starting in October never write off the UAE; we are more resilient than that. Percy, whose father founded the forerunner to DASA in Abu Dhabi, remembers witnessing the fourth National Day as a child. She watched the parade with the leaders of the seven Emirates sitting on a dais close by, when the local population was less than half a million people. Now, Dubai counts around 3.4 million citizens. Percy says: Last year, the UAE was a signatory to the Abraham Accords. A few weeks later, I was on a Zoom call to a company in Israel and this in the midst of a global crisis. The UAE will come back better than ever. DASA isnt alone in seeing light at the end of the tunnel and a positive outlook for this ambitious Gulf state. Move Ones Curt Clements says: We FIDI AFFILIATES BASED IN UAE: DELIGHT INTERNATIONAL MOVERS GULF AGENCY COMPANY (ABU DHABI) AFL RELOCATIONS ALLIED MOVING SERVICES, UAE BRIDGEWAY RELOCATIONS DASA INTERNATIONAL MOVERS E-MOVERS LLC FREIGHT INTERNATIONAL LLC GULF AGENCY COMPANY (DUBAI) LLC INTEREM INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS DIVISION OF FREIGHT SYSTEMS CO. LTD MOVE ONE RELOCATIONS 44 FF301 Q2 21 pp40-45 Dubai.indd 44 AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE AFFILIATE ABU DHABI ABU DHABI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 09/03/2021 09:54