Category Archives: Govt

Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) an initiative of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) outlines simple adjustments that residents can make to help keep the city operating as sustainably as possible during the period of lockdown. Building on the UAE’s #StayHome initiative, DTCM laid out 12 steps to sustainability, which are; Responsible consumption: purchase local produce to support local businesses and to minimise on the food miles each item has travelled to be delivered to your door; Meal Planning: Think ahead to avoid over buying or bulk purchases, consider the delivery drivers, remain conscious of food waste and be supportive of the community by only buying what you need. Maximise Natural Light: Turn the lights off in rooms that aren’t being used and open your curtains and windows for additional daylight and fresh air; Energy Conservation: Ensure that air conditioning units are only working in rooms that are being used, try to only run the dishwasher when it is full and only use one glass throughout the day, washing it once you’ve finished with it. Use water wisely: Support Dubai and educate your family members on conscious water usage; Concentration: Avoid distractions, set house rules for your family members to respect working time and don’t have the television on in the background if not being watched. Health and wellbeing: Remain active, and practice meditation to remain productive and to maintain a positive frame of mind, follow Yoga La Vie for live online sessions. Avoid sitting on the sofa whilst working, sitting upright at a desk will keep you engaged and in ‘work mode’; Go paperless: Avoid printing paper and adopt a digital filing and document review system. Virtual …

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) introduces an ‘Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration: SHA’ certification aimed at elevating the country’s tourism industry standards and developing confidence among tourists, including visitors from the Middle East. The project is part of TAT’s efforts to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and accelerate recovery in the travel and tourism sector. The Amazing Thailand SHA certification is to prepare Thai tourism operators to be ready for the return of tourism post COVID-19. Pichaya Saisaengchan, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand for Dubai and the Middle East, said, “As the pandemic has currently halted the travel, we have taken this time to prepare ourselves for when restrictions are lifted. The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration: SHA certification puts emphasis on hygiene and sanitation measures across all stakeholders in the travel and tourism sector in order to inspire confidence in our visitors and assure them that we are taking all the necessary precautions during their time with us.” TAT is currently working on details of the Amazing Thailand SHA certification together with the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Board of Trade of Thailand, Federation of Thai Spa and Wellness Association, Thai Retailers Association, Thai Hotels Association, Association of Domestic Travel, Thai Amusement and Leisure Park Association, Thai Restaurant Association, Thai Spa Association, Thai Boats Association, and Event Management Association.

The Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), together with the State Tourism Agency (STA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in cooperation with Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), has announced the launch of an innovative programme called SAHMAN (Sanitation and Hygiene Methods and Norms). It is a nationwide campaign set to transform Azerbaijan’s existing health, safety and hygiene standards. Supported by the UNWTO, it also reaffirms the country’s commitment towards providing a world-class tourism destination for its citizens and future visitors alike in the post-pandemic world. ATB is finalising talks with international firm PwC to audit and certify these standards. As part of the countrywide measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, SAHMAN is founded upon safety, transparency, social responsibility and inclusivity. The programme will adopt a holistic approach to fuel innovation across the tourism industry, ensuring the involvement of all relevant public and private partners, and the safety of those working in the sector. It will culminate with the launch of Azerbaijan’s Domestic Tourism Campaign this summer. Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board commented, “The current global pandemic has brought to light the need to reassess and enhance our standards across the industry. The SAHMAN programme calls upon all stakeholders in Azerbaijan to adopt even better practices in their businesses in the interest of safeguarding public health and supporting the regrowth of the industry. With this long-term shift in behaviour, we aim to ensure that these higher standards will be upheld beyond the current crisis.” To launch the campaign, ATB and STA have partnered with the Azerbaijan Hotel Association (AHA), Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), regional municipalities and DMOs, with plans to …

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), is offering its employees the opportunity to add value to their professional careers and broaden their skill sets through a range of online courses, while they continue to work from home due to the unprecedented situation caused by COVID-19. Offered in both Arabic and English languages, the courses can be accessed via the online platform of Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), an institution established and mandated by Dubai Tourism to provide vocational and tertiary education, specifically for Emiratis and expatriates who are keen to take up a career in tourism or be employed in tourist-facing roles across various sectors. With a specially curated curriculum that meets the needs of both students and future employers, DCT courses move away from the traditional academic university programmes to provide a hands-on approach that is unrivalled within the industry. With the office environment going virtual during the current period, the entire Dubai Tourism workforce is taking some time out from their busy work schedules to enroll for courses of their choice on DCT’s online platform. Over 30 per cent of the workforce is engaged in following the courses on a daily basis with course completion rates reaching 85 per cent. This figure easily surpasses the global average of less than 10 per cent for online learning course completion. Participants can choose from 50 different courses offering over 500 hours of learning content in the areas of business, digital marketing and the recently introduced Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Teams and the ‘Working remotely from home’ course. The diverse topics include Google Analytics for Beginners, Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Business Writing, Enterprise Risk Management, Business Continuity, Information …

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) hosted a virtual meeting with His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, and leaders from across the tourism industry, this week. During the meeting, WTTC shared data, revealing the potential global economic impact of COVID-19 on Travel & Tourism. WTTC Members’ high-profile CEOs discussed the impact of COVID-19 and the decisive action needed to protect over 75 million livelihoods that have been put at risk across the sector. The roundtable was chaired by WTTC President and CEO, Gloria Guevara, and H.E. Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism and Chairperson of this year’s G20 Tourism Track. As one of the world’s most labour-intensive sectors, supporting 330 million jobs worldwide and one in four new jobs created on the planet in 2019, tourism must be at the heart of global response and recovery efforts. Latest research from WTTC shows the COVID-19 pandemic could result in a loss of up to $2.1 trillion in Travel & Tourism GDP to the world economy. H.E. Al-Khateeb stressed his commitment to working proactively with WTTC in coordinating with the private sector and shaping global crisis response measures to ensure travel and tourism is at the forefront of recovery efforts. H.E. Al Khateeb, said, “The challenge ahead lies in two phases: first in weathering the impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives and businesses and second in rebuilding from it.” He added, “As we work together to outline solutions for the private sector, we look forward to building a collective response for all types of businesses involved – from global conglomerates to the many micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that help make tourism a thriving and innovative industry. Guaranteeing …

UAE Minister of State H.E. Zaki Nusseibeh will be sending a message of unity and solidarity in response to global challenges presented by COVID-19 by hosting a live social media event on April 16. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will be holding the online cultural marathon symposium to be attended by UAE Ambassadors representing the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, India, Singapore, China, and Australia. With the participation of museum directors, artists, design specialists, and cultural institutions discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and offering solutions and insights, the event will last for over 24 hours. As the UAE intensifies its efforts to support art, the online symposium will serve as a meeting point for arts professionals around the world to explore ways to emerge from this crisis as a global community.

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 …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) launches a range of far reaching support initiatives, aimed at its hospitality, leisure and development partners, during the peak of COVID-19 crisis and to lay the strong foundations for future recovery. In a move that further reflects the emirate’s ‘ONE RAK’ commitment to transparency, ease of doing business and global community spirit, the tourism authority has sent all business partners and stakeholders a comprehensive contingency plan, which maps out short- to mid-term solutions to mitigate the negative impact of coronavirus on travel to Ras Al Khaimah. Addressing partners and stakeholders via a virtual meeting on April 1, Raki Phillips, CEO, RAKTDA, highlighted that the hospitality industry was facing a grave threat from the coronavirus crisis. The UNWTO estimates losses from international visitor spends to be between USD $30-50 billion globally, while The World Travel and Tourism Council have found up to 50 million jobs have been put at risk. RAKTDA’s prompt robust response sees the creation of an internal Stimulus Committee and Steering Stimulus Committee representing the Emirate. Led by Raki Phillips and top executives across the hospitality, leisure and development sectors, specific measures include a six-month waiver of all touristic licenses; waiver of Tourism Dirhams from March to May; a complete exemption of tourism licensing fees for Q2 and Q3 and tourism licensing fines until September 30. This support will be further enhanced by a dedicated Financial Incentive Package aimed towards non-government owned touristic entities, including budget, midscale and 4-star hotels as well as attractions, golf courses and other tourism establishments. In addition to this, hospitality partners will be able to benefit from complimentary participation in a diverse array of exhibitions and …

Oman Ministry of Tourism revealed that significant investments will be poured in, to transform ancient houses into heritage inns and guest houses in an aim to boost tourism efforts promoting the sultanate’s vibrant local heritage. As one of the Ministry’s top priorities, the preservation of ancient houses – which are considered architectural treasures that show Oman’s archaeological character – are central to national initiatives showcasing the unique heritage and rich history and civilisation of the sultanate. The Ministry’s announcement is expected to result in higher tourist arrivals to meet the government’s goal of attracting 11 million local and international visitors by 2040. Boosting domestic tourism will also lead to new job opportunities for citizens and a diversified national economy. Saleh bin Ali Al Khaifi, Director of Promotion and Marketing Department, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said, “Investing in heritage homes is a step in the right direction amid our continued efforts to entice more tourists from all over the world to come visit Oman. Therefore, we are moving forward with our mega tourism projects aimed at transforming old traditional homes into heritage inns with the best services, while preserving and protecting the old structures and the atmosphere of the neighbourhoods in our ancient areas. We will observe the highest standards in these projects, keeping sustainability and the finest hospitality in mind.”

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) revealed that the emirate recorded a three per cent growth in the number of hotel guests in 2019 as compared to 2018. The sector welcomed approximately 1.8 million guests last year with a hotel occupancy rate of 66 per cent. In terms of nationalities, guests from the Russian Federation topped the list, followed by GCC countries such as KSA and Oman, and then India. H.E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “The emirate witnessed robust inflows of tourists throughout last year, thanks to the emirate’s major achievements in terms of the launch of new recreation facilities, tourism initiatives and related activities. Sharjah’s higher hotel occupancy rates can be attributed to the success of the initiatives and projects implemented in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to further enhance the emirate’s position on the global tourism landscape.” Al Midfa noted that by the end of 2019, the emirate had more than 10,000 hotel rooms, comprising 1,331 rooms in nine 5-star hotels; 2,733 rooms in 21 4-star hotels; as well as thirty one in one to three-star hotels; and 2,485 apartments in 40 hotel apartment facilities. Furthermore, six new 5-star and 4-star hotels were inaugurated last year, and more than seven new hotel projects are expected to be unveiled in 2020. This reflects Sharjah’s growth as a must-visit destination for families, business travellers and those seeking exciting tourism and recreation activities, and highlights investor confidence in Sharjah’s flourishing tourism sector.