Tag Archives: DCT Abu Dhabi

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has extended exemptions of tourism and municipality fees for hotel establishments operating within the Emirate until June 30th, 2021. The exemption follows directives from Abu Dhabi Executive Council that are part of the economic stimulus package and are part of ongoing efforts to support the sector in overcoming challenges from COVID-19. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, DCT Abu Dhabi introduced a series of initiatives and stimulus packages beginning in March 2020 to support hotel and tourism establishments in the capital. “This initiative is in line with our vision of sustaining and supporting the tourism sector, especially in the exceptional and urgent circumstances that currently face the sector,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of the Tourism and Marketing Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi. “This decision supports partners and stakeholders in revitalising the tourism sector and ensuring that it recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing hotel and tourism facilities with the opportunity to develop and improve their experiences and products. Close collaborations between the public and private sectors are vital, and we are committed to working hand-in-hand to pave the way towards a brighter future,” he added.  

Culture Summit Abu Dhabi has released the full programme for its virtual fourth edition, which will be held under the theme The Cultural Economy and the Economy of Culture. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the Summit will take place from 8 – 10 March 2021. Attendance is free and open to the public, with registration now available on the Culture Summit website. Culture Summit 2021 will convene global experts from fields such as design, heritage, media, public policy, and technology, for a series of keynote speeches, panel discussions, case studies, artist talks, performances, and film screenings. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Culture Summit is ambitious in its goal to produce innovative, globally-impactful propositions by connecting cultural leaders with key voices from diverse yet related fields, and we will amplify that impact even further this year, through our first virtual and public edition. We create future-facing solutions that aim to change and improve the fields of culture, which are vital contributors to the recovery, growth, and development of any economy.” “Abu Dhabi recognised the significant role that the culture sector and the creative industries play in economic development early on and have always considered them a key aspect in achieving the emirate’s objectives. In a time when the viability of these industries and their practitioners have been particularly affected by current global events, Culture Summit’s discussions will be vital ones, that must result in concrete outcomes,” Al Mubarak added.

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced the ‘Creative Visa’ initiative, which aims to support individuals contributing to the cultural and creative industries in Abu Dhabi. The Creative Visa is open to a wide range of talented individuals operating within key fields across all domains within the cultural and creative industries, including heritage, performing arts, visual arts, design and crafts, gaming and e-sports, media and publishing. This initiative seeks to increase opportunities for residency and employment in Abu Dhabi while simultaneously bolstering the thriving creative scene in the United Arab Emirates. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi is committed to not just nurturing the creative talent found within our borders but to also extending our resources to innovators from the region and around the world. This mutually beneficial system will attract pioneering ideas and creativity to Abu Dhabi, as the Creative Visa will offer participants access to world-class facilities and infrastructure, as well as an attractive, safe and inspiring living and working environment for individuals and families.” He added, “The creative ecosystem of the Emirate plays an important role in all our lives, and we are committed to supporting its practitioners and professionals. Abu Dhabi is a place rooted in cultural heritage and creativity, where culture is a driver of social and economic development. Championing the cultural and creative sectors will continue to be a priority for DCT Abu Dhabi, and this visa is only one of the globally relevant projects we’re launching with continued speed and agility.”

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and UFC have announced that Return to UFC Fight Island, the much-celebrated UFC series will be held on Yas Island from September 26 to October 24. Following the undisputed success of July’s inaugural series, which saw the state-of-the-art UFC Fight Island Safe Zone implemented across all event-related areas of Yas Island, the series’ epic return less than three months later marks another historic first for Abu Dhabi and the sport. The capital of the UAE is continuing to take a leading position in safely organising large, high-profile sports events through successful management of health and safety protocols, providing a further boost to the local economy and showcasing the world’s leading athletes. “UFC Fight Island proved to be a tremendous success and its rapid return is testament to the strength of our partnership with UFC, and the global confidence in Abu Dhabi’s ability and preparedness to host major international events with the highest standards of health and safety,” said His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. “The Return to UFC Fight Island concept underlines both Abu Dhabi’s commitment to global sporting and tourism events as well as the collaborative approach taken by various government departments to ensure the emirate is ready to safely welcome back visitors, business and more major international events across multiple sectors.” Dana White, the UFC President added, “While the rest of the world shut down, we worked with our partners in Abu Dhabi to put on the best live sporting experience, and we did it safely and responsibly. The infrastructure they have in place, from the arena, to the hotels, to the …

Tripoto has partnered with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to promote the capital of the UAE as the ideal destination for Indian travellers. As part of the partnership, Tripoto created four Gigapixels – digital image bitmaps composed of one billion pixels each and featuring 1,000 times the information captured by a 1-megapixel digital camera. The images, shot across the city, were then meticulously stitched together, with the end result being high-resolution, 360-degree visuals that offers viewers an immersive, bird’s eye view of the UAE capital and its many attractions. Some of the highlights include family-friendly theme parks, such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, luxury hotels, shopping malls, beaches, golf clubs, and much more. “This pioneering partnership showcases the way in which tourism is moving, with travellers now being able to zoom right into the city, exploring even the minutest details before they even set foot there. From the grains of white sand on the beaches of Saadiyat Island to the soaring heights of the tallest roller coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi’s Gigapixels really bring the emirate to life, allowing travellers to not only experience the magic of the capital from wherever they are in the world but also plan for their future holidays there,” said Michael Lyngdoh, Founder, Tripoto. Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, Destination Marketing Director at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Abu Dhabi is the perfect destination for savvy Indian travellers, offering everything from family-friendly theme parks to stunning natural attractions, luxury hotels, world-class business facilities, high-end shopping, gorgeous beaches, rich culture, and more. India is Abu Dhabi’s top source …

In the absence of a Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2020 event, The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), in collaboration with global cultural organisations, is delivering a special Culture Summit Abu Dhabi live stream experience, set to be broadcast on YouTube on 9 April at 5pm (UAE time). HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, will chair the panel session ‘Alone Together: Culture and Resilience’, featuring distinguished participants including Ernesto OttoneRamírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO; Alexandra Munroe, Samsung Senior Curator of Asian Art and Senior Adviser, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; Rebecca Lyons, Director of Collections and Learning, Royal Academy of Arts; Melanie Noronha, Senior Editor, Thought Leadership, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, The Economist Intelligence Unit; and Marisa Henderson, Chief, Creative Economy, UNCTAD. ‘Alone Together: Culture and Resilience’ will address the current global situation and its impact on culture from a social, economic and psychological angle. Culture today is in crisis, but the session will address how it is responding to the threat and helping to create a resilient society that prioritises participation and community support. With culture being the continuous thread which links an increasingly isolated global population, the discussion will assess the impact of this current period of unprecedented crisis on the culture sector, and explore how culture might help to lessen our collective anxiety and trauma. With many institutions closing their doors for an extended period of time, there are severe challenges around funding and staffing, and the panellists will debate how cultural organisations can best endure this period of shutdown, and how we can most effectively support institutions, artists, and the creative …

Sojern and Spark Foundry announced a partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). This new partnership incorporates Sojern’s real-time travel audience targeting capabilities directly into its ad-buying system, or DSP (Demand Side Platform), offering it increased transparency and control over its digital marketing campaigns. A test run in the final quarter of 2019 proved that Sojern’s hyper-targeted programmatic ads, which were delivered during key decision-making moments to audiences with travel intent, resulted in increased bookings and conversions and reduced traveller acquisition cost. Over the past decade, Sojern has built a network of global data partnerships that provide access to billions of real-time travel-intent signals. These intent signals are analysed using proprietary data-science methodology to better understand travellers’ booking behaviour along their path to purchase. This information is then used to target personalised marketing messages at every stage of the funnel, in this case supporting brand campaigns used to promote Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination, as well as direct response campaigns that drive direct bookings and conversions to key Abu Dhabi attractions. Saeed Rashed Al Saeed, Destination Marketing Director at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi said, “By managing our digital marketing campaigns within our own DSP, coupled with Sojern’s rich dataset for audience targeting, it enables us to monitor campaign performance, daily ad spend and total return on our campaign investments with more ease.” Chris Blaine, VP of EMEA at Sojern commented, “We are delighted to partner with DCT Abu Dhabi and Spark Foundry to encourage travellers to enjoy warm hospitality, family-friendly attractions, rich culture and impressive archaeological and historical sites in one of the safest and most modern …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT – Abu Dhabi) has been awarded with the Guiness World Records (GWR) title for the ‘Largest Augmented Reality (AR) Screen’, as part of a pioneering augmented-reality advertising campaign to promote the UAE capital as a world-leading holiday destination. The latest marketing campaign utilised the famous 40-foot digital billboard known as Piccadilly Lights in the heart of London, transforming the screen into an interactive augmented-reality (AR) experience, showcasing some of Abu Dhabi’s most iconic landmarks. Ali Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT – Abu Dhabi, said, “The world-record-breaking augmented-reality experience took over Piccadilly Lights for two weeks, showcasing the UAE capital’s most famous landmarks in a pioneering way. When conceptualising the campaign, we knew we wanted to do more than just bring Abu Dhabi’s famous sights to life at one of London’s most iconic landmarks. We also wanted to capitalise on the scale of the experience by breaking a GWR title for the ‘World’s Largest Augmented Reality (AR) Screen.” Aside from breaking a GWR title, the augmented reality screen has also been designed to allow passers-by to play a starring role in the experience. Al Shaiba added, “By standing near the fountain in the square, people are captured by the hi-tech, on-site audience camera – used specifically for advertising for the first time for this campaign – transporting them to some of Abu Dhabi’s most famous attractions – think family-friendly indoor theme park Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, wildlife haven Sir Bani Yas Island, and the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – on the screen. Each one of the capital’s landmarks has been brought vividly to life …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has unveiled the first edition of Abu Dhabi Music Week, a pioneering platform for music fans and professionals set to launch in March 2020 in the UAE Capital. The first edition of the Music Week will focus on electronic dance music (EDM), featuring global electronic music festival Ultra. The week will also include citywide international and local music events and activations at some of Abu Dhabi’s key attractions, including the inaugural DJ Mag Middle East conference. Commenting on the hosting of the landmark music platform in the UAE capital, Saeed Al Saeed, Destination Marketing Director at the Department of Culture and Tourism, said, “Abu Dhabi Music Week is a lively celebration of music that is set to be the first of its kind in the Middle East. We believe in the power of music to unite people of all backgrounds. Therefore, we created Abu Dhabi Music Week to demonstrate our commitment to providing our residents and visitors alike with unforgettable experiences.” Dudley Chou, Executive Producer, Ultra Abu Dhabi, said, “We are humbled by the opportunity to bring Ultra to the Middle East for the first time in the amazing venue at du Arena at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. 2020 is going to be an exciting year for us and look forward to developing a long-term icon for festival goers to indulge in.” Tickets and artists for Abu Dhabi Music Week will be announced over the coming months, visitors and residents of Abu Dhabi will be able to take advantage of a number of offers and discounts to attend the event. The pioneering music platform is expected to be …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that the fourth edition of ‘Mother of the Nation Festival’ (MOTN) is set to return to Abu Dhabi from March 12-23, 2019, in conjunction with the Special Olympics World Games, taking place from March 14-21. More than 7,500 athletes from 192 countries are set to participate in the Games, which are being held in the Middle East and North Africa region for the first time. The festival pays tribute to the living legacy of the original ‘Mother of the Nation’, HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union and President of the Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood. It embodies her inspirational values of empowerment, conservation, collaboration and sustainability. MOTN is committed to providing a wide array of entertainment through performances, workshops, dining, retail offers and activities for the entire family to enjoy over the course of 12 days. The festival’s campaign will embody the spirit of the ‘Year of Tolerance’ through a number of activities, which will once again be held along a kilometre of Abu Dhabi’s Corniche. It will offer something for everyone to enjoy, from musical and entertainment performances and art exhibits to interactive workshops, in addition to the newly introduced Special Olympics Zone. There will also be an e-sports gaming championship in the Progress Zone, while the Happiness Zone returns with an array of exhilarating activities. HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “This year, we are delighted to host the Special Olympics World Summer Games as part of the fourth edition of the Mother of the Nation Festival. This …