Some 84 customer-facing UAE national executives from Abu Dhabi’s public and private sector today graduated from the fifth Abu Dhabi Ambassador programme - a 10 week initiative designed to hone the skills of those interfacing with visitors to the emirate.

The 84 included graduates from the Second Class of 2010 as well of the Class of 2011 – the largest yet in the four-year series. All graduated in a special ceremony at the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel attended by HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).

“This graduation now takes our Ambassador Alumni to 179 and has seen the organisation outreach expand to 27 – 12 more than last year,” explained Nasser Al Reyami, Tourism Standards Director, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, which is behind the programme. “The outreach expansion also reflects the growth of the emirate’s tourism stakeholder base as more products and services continually come on line.

Organisations joining the initiative for the first time included: the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies & Research; twofour54; the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi Education Council; Al Ain University; the Emirates Foundation; the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre; Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Municipalities, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management ; Abu Dhabi University and Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

“The programme has come a long way since it began in 2008 when some 15 Zayed University students graduated. We now have a significant pool of nationals with the skills, knowledge and confidence to interface with visitors and who are helping to deliver a quality destination experience,” added Al Reyami.

The English-language programme the 2011 graduates followed had also expanded significantly and included sessions on: tourism entrepreneurship opportunities in event management; mastery of the art of public speaking; understanding tourists and role-playing as tourist guides.

“Going forward the programme will continue to evolve as we widen and fine tune our destination offering and as the stakeholder base becomes ever more engaged with this initiative,” said Atef Al Bastaki, Senior Tourism Industry Emiratisation Executive, ADTA.

“Participants leave with an understanding of the opportunities and trends in tourism and in the staging of major events. They are now more aware of the business models, budgeting and marketing that goes into delivering a successful product.”
 

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