From Seaworld to Dubai airport: UAE VP Sheikh Mohammed spotted touring 5 locations in 3 days

His official duties have taken him out and about the country, and some lucky residents were able to get a glimpse of the Royal in action

By Web Desk

Published: Thu 13 Jul 2023, 3:41 PM

Last updated: Thu 13 Jul 2023, 11:11 PM

The Ruler of Dubai, the ubiquitous figure of the emirate, shows unwavering determination to offer the best to his people and relentlessly pursues excellence in everything the city does. This week, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was spotted touring five locations in three days, taking stock of the various projects.

His official duties have taken him out and about the country, and some lucky residents were able to get a glimpse of the Royal in action. On Monday (July 10), Sheikh Mohammed was photographed cycling around the Dubai Water Canal. He was riding with government officials along the 7km Dubai Water Canal cycling track, which is popular among cyclists in the emirate.

An ardent cyclist, this is not the first time the Dubai Ruler was spotted on cycling tracks in the city. Last year, Sheikh Mohammed was seen inspecting a brand-new bike path adjacent to Jumeirah Beach.

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Packing in some leisure tour, Sheikh Mohammed visited a popular tourist destination, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, on July 11. The Dubai Ruler was spotted soaking in the beautiful aquarium at Endless Ocean zone – one of the eight realms in SeaWorld. It is the largest water basin of its kind in the world, containing about 25 million litres of water and housing approximately 68,000 different marine species.

Residents and visitors were stunned and excited to see Sheikh Mohammed up close while touring the attraction. He also interacted with a few young guests at the park.

On the same day, he was also spotted leisurely strolling through Depachika food hall at the Nakheel Mall on Palm Jumeirah. His entourage stopped by La Fabbrica Italiana. Depachika is a popular food hall showcasing a wide range of gourmet treats. The retail mix combines speciality, artisanal and a range of food categories and gifting ideas targeting the foodie community in Dubai.

On July 12, Sheikh Mohammed toured the Emirates Engineering Centre and reviewed various aspects of the airline’s ongoing cabin refurbishment programme. He also visited the airline's state-of-the-art cabin workshops and watched a demonstration of how aircraft safety slides are deployed and tested.

He met with the team of highly skilled engineers and technicians working on the retrofit programme. Emirates employs over 5,500 people in various roles in its Engineering division. UAE nationals make up 60% of the workforce while female talent comprises nearly 20%.

He didn't wrap up the day just yet, but packed in another tour and visited Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, which apart from being the operational base of flydubai also provides services to 18 other airlines.

Travellers at the terminal hurriedly took their mobile phones out to click pictures of the royalty amidst them. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, accompanied Sheikh Mohammed.

Ever wondered how the VP manages to pack in all of that and more despite his heavy responsibilities? Responding to a similar question during the Government Summit in 2013, Sheikh Mohammed said: "For me, time resembles life itself. You cannot store or contain it. Time passes and flows by like a river; you cannot step in the same water twice, it’s constantly running. You cannot store life, it moves on… So, why don’t we utilise our time wisely in accomplishing things efficiently and to fulfill our duties towards our country and nation? Proper time management is achievable. Time management accomplishes a balance in life hence you can accommodate family, work, hobbies and trips. An organised individual can indeed make time for everything."

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