Emirati tour guides showcasing Abu Dhabi’s hidden cultural treasures at World Travel Market
A novel Emirati-led tour programme is showcased at the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism’s, (DCT), stand at the World Travel Market, to allow tourists and residents to gain a firsthand experience into the Emirati culture at the hands of Emirati tourist guides.
The programme, dubbed ‘Emirati Experiences’, allows visitors to see the authentic side of Abu Dhabi on guided tours carried out by Emiratis, which can be booked on the DCT website.
“The offering, launched in October, encourages Emirati youth to present their country and traditional culture to the entire world,” Souad Al Ma’mari, the programme supervisor, told WAM.
These tours will focus on handicrafts, traditional hospitality, and lifestyle across the Emirate and are led so far by four Emirati nationals: Heba bin Redha, Sultan Karrani, Saleh Al Ameri and Mohamed Al Hammadi, she added.
Emirati Experiences is set to address unique experience and there are currently 10 tours on offer and display by these promising young men and ladies through www.visitabudhabi.ae, she explained.
Potential tour guides may apply for the programme through the DCT and undergo a two-month training course after which they get an official license from the Department to start working on their offering, she added.
“The training programme helps hone our youth’s tourist and sightseeing skills and more importantly leads to creating job opportunities for those interested in our local culture and tourist wealth.”
Any UAE national interested in getting involved with the initiative can get in touch with the department on its website, while there are also imminent plans to launch an Emirati tour-guide training programme, she noted.
Abu Dhabi also bagged the Best Stand Award at the WTM, surpassing 182 participating countries and 5000 exhibitors from all over the world.
WTM London is among the largest international exhibitions in the fields of travel, tourism, air transport and travel technologies, enabling participants to promote their destinations. This year, Abu Dhabi and its partners surpassed prior achievements at the global forum, conducting over 1,500 meetings in addition to others in the pipeline.
Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director of the Tourism Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said, “Our participation at this year’s WTM London has been hugely successful in raising Abu Dhabi’s profile in the international tourism space, drawing unprecedented interest from tourists. The days were very rewarding for us and our partners as we succeeded in communicating our line-up of world-class offerings to some of the most influential figures in the industry. The interaction we have had with UK and European visitors will further champion Abu Dhabi’s position as a destination of choice for unique experiences in the tourism industry.”
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi spearheaded a delegation of 40 exhibitors across the private and public sectors, showcasing a robust suite of 95 products. The offerings on display were carefully singled out to position Abu Dhabi as a first-class destination for cultural tourism.
