Category Archives: Govt

In its move to becoming an edutainment destination, Dubai municipality unveiled a sneak peak at the upcoming Dubai Safari set to be launched soon. Over 2500 animals will represent more than 250 species with interesting visitor engaging activities for all ages. The park is set on 119 hectares covering Middle East, Africa and Asia as regions with a special Safari village where a group of 15 to 20 visitors at a time will be able to have a first-hand experience of being close to wild animals. During an exclusive first-look media event hosted by Dubai Municipality at Dubai Safari, Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General, Dubai Municipality for Communications and Community Sector, said, “Dubai Safari is more than just a wildlife park. Our vision for this project is to offer a highly engaging edutainment experience that fosters education on animal welfare, inspires a sense of learning about wildlife diversity and raises awareness on what makes wildlife protection a top priority.” A diverse array of activities like feeding, listening to animal stories, etc, promises to make the park an exciting destination for hands-on learning and endless fun.

The inaugural Dubai Association Conference opened on December 11 at Dubai World Trade Centre under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. Industry leaders from around the globe attended the two-day event. The leaders of the Dubai Association Centre expressed optimism about the future for associations in the emirate. The Dubai Association Conference is being hosted by the Dubai Association Centre (DAC), a joint initiative of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). In the opening session, His Excellency Helal Al Marri, Director General, DTCM and DWTC, and His Excellency Hamad Buamim, President and CEO, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, discussed their vision for growing the association market community in Dubai and the wider Middle East region. The programme will focus on building the association community, skill development for association executives and sharing best practices from around the world.

Taking ziplining to the extreme, XDubai launched the new XLine, the world’s longest, steepest and fastest urban zipline. Set in Dubai Marina, the new XLine measures an astonishing 1 kilometre, with a travel of an average of 80 kilometres per hour. Building on the earlier archetype, the new XLine literally goes the distance, doubling in length and offering daring duos the ability to experience it together – swiftly yet safely – through two concurrently running ziplines. Also new is the superman style harness, which allows zipliners to channel their inner superhero with an electrifying flight-like experience as they zip from one of the Amwaj towers in JBR, 170 metres in the air, weaving through skyscrapers and across water, down to the terrace of Dubai Marina Mall, landing in close proximity to amazed bystanders. Building upon the success of the original XLine, the new version will also be open to both visitors and residents of Dubai for a limited time with public bookings open now.

In a move to provide practical training tools, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi launched the Emirati Tourist Guide Training & Licensing programme, an in-depth training course which invites UAE Nationals to become licensed tour guides. The Industry & Tourist Guide Training Unit at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has introduced the programme to all residents of Abu Dhabi wishing to obtain a tour guide license. With the new curriculum and advanced courses, the Department initiated further plans to attract the Emirati community to participate in the tourism sector, an ever-burgeoning industry in Abu Dhabi. The programme aims to improve the quality of local tourist guide knowledge and enhance their engagement skills. Following several weeks of in-depth training, the first group of licensed tourist guides graduated at a ceremony held recently at The St. Regis Corniche.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announced the winners of the inaugural Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards at a ceremony held at The Westin Dubai Al Habtoor City. Comprising 17 different categories, the Awards celebrate the role of Dubai’s hotels and tourism companies in advancing sustainability within the emirate’s tourism industry. The event was attended by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism; His Excellency Ahmad Butti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai Tourism and over 600 players within Dubai’s hospitality and travel sectors. The Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards received 151 entries from tourism and hotel establishments ranging from five-star hotels and resorts to guest houses and desert camps. In addition to the 17 winners, Dubai Tourism also honoured the Awards’ three Strategic Partners – Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. The special ‘Sustainability Champion’ award was won by Abdul Quddus Sheikh of Armani Hotel for its sustainability leadership.

Led by The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, a Cruise Sector Committee meeting was convened in the past week to tackle the challenges faced by the industry and plans for the future of the sector in the emirate. Held at the headquarters of the Department and led by its chairman, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the meeting hosted many high level management figures from partners and industry stakeholders including Brigadier General Mansour Al Dhaheri from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Abu Dhabi, Captain Mohammed Al Shamsi from Abu Dhabi Ports, Mohammed Al Bulooki from Etihad Airways, Engineer Jamal Al Hosani from the Department of Municipal Affairs, Mohammed Al Qemzi from the Integrated Transport Center and Sufian Al Marzooqi from the Tourism Development & Investment Company. For the upcoming 2017-18 season, the Department estimates growth of 5 per cent in the number of passengers from the previous year’s figure of 346,000, after a series of initiatives were launched to develop Abu Dhabi’s cruise sector as a primary niche product.

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has revealed that Mantis Collection, the owner of some of the world’s finest boutique hotels and eco escapes, will be managing all hospitality facilities under its ‘Sharjah Collection’ brand. The joint venture was officiated and announced at the World Travel Market (WTM) London held from November 6-8. The partnership reflected the commitment between the two institutions that are equally dedicated to the spirit of conservation and preservation of local culture and heritage. Mantis’ excellence in the field has been continuously recognised by leading international hospitality awards such as the ‘2017 LUX Best Global Luxury Hotel Group and Excellence Award for Eco-Tourism’; the World’s Leading Luxury Boutique Hotels Collection 2016 and ‘Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel Brand 2017’  by the World Travel Awards; among several others. Mantis was selected by Shurooq because of its expertise and experience in delivering and managing boutique sustainable hospitality facilities worldwide. The authority believes that the quality of hospitality and stay options in Sharjah will take a quantum leap forward with the Sharjah Collection.

Maintaining its stance as the strongest market in the region, Dubai once again recorded a 7.5 per cent increase in tourist arrivals in Q3 2017, according to the latest data released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). A total of 11.58 million international overnight visitors arrived in Dubai during the first nine months of 2017, reflecting a 7.5 per cent increase over the same period last year. India retained the top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets for inbound tourism, with 1,478,000 Indian tourists arriving in the city between January and September, registering a significant 20 per cent rise over the same period in 2016. This increase affirmed the effectiveness of various innovative promotional activities driven by Dubai Tourism in the market, including collaborations with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Almost all the top 10 markets – with the exception of Oman and Kuwait, which saw declines of 23 and 3 per cent respectively – posted healthy increases in tourist traffic.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, an architectural masterpiece, is set to officially open its doors to the public on November 11. Designed by Jean Nouvel, it is located on the waterfront in Abu Dhabi’s cultural district on Saadiyat Island. The inaugural installation, in its spacious collection of galleries, will present 600 works of art, half from its own rich holdings, and half consisting of stellar works visiting from its 13 partner museums in France. The museum will also begin an ongoing programme of special exhibitions in December. A programme of multicultural music, arts and dance performances, workshops, light show and firework display by world-renowned Groupe F will be held on the inaugural day. Set to run from November 11-14, the opening week programme was curated by Louvre Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Agence France-Muséums and Arwad Esber, Artistic and Programming Advisor. Special ticketed headline acts during the opening week include a sold-out show by French singer and rock guitarist Matthieu Chedid, Malian performer Fatoumata Diawara, Lebanese jazz and world musician Ibrahim Maalouf and singer and dancer Totó La Momposina. To purchase tickets, please visit www.louvreabudhabi.ae.

Hotel guests to all three regions of Abu Dhabi increased in total by 5 per cent in September as compared to the same month in the previous year, according to figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi. Increases for hotel guests have been recorded as 14 per cent in the Al Dhafra Region, 8 per cent in the Al Ain Region and 4 per cent in Abu Dhabi city with a total occupancy rate of 69 per cent. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, said, “Globally, we have invested heavily in marketing Abu Dhabi as a destination of distinction with an emphasis on its history, culture and heritage. Our strategy is to highlight Abu Dhabi as a wealth of natural and man-made attractions across all regions while providing luxurious yet affordable choices of accommodation.” While September saw a slight drop in domestic tourists into Abu Dhabi, the month was marked by a surge in Chinese hotel guests, recording an increase of 133 per cent in comparison to September 2016. India remained the largest international source market with more than 33,000 hotel guests during the month.