Dubai 2003 to showcase the best of the UAE to participants of IMF-World Bank Meetings

"This is a matchless opportunity for us to showcase the best that the UAE has to offer," explained Dubai 2003 General Coordinator Mr. Ibrahim Belselah.

"To maximise the potential benefit of such an opportunity, we have drawn up a comprehensive programme that will cater to the needs of delegates and their partners," Belselah said.

A travel centre will be established for the participants at the Dubai International Convention Centre. They will also get information about the tours and excursions in information packs that will be handed out to each delegate even before they board the plane to come to the UAE. Further information will be available at the hotels where they stay.

On offer for the delegates and visitors will be more than a dozen day trips to tourist attractions throughout the UAE that have been created Arabian Adventures. These include excursions to Sharjah and Ajman, the East Coast, visits to Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain and to the UAE Capital, Abu Dhabi.

There are also five two-day getaways that will offer an unparalleled experience in locations such as Hatta, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Maha Resort.

For delegates and their spouses 10 diversely themed programmes, carefully chosen to best showcase various aspects of life in and around Dubai, have been developed and will introduce them to some of the region's culinary delights, history and culture.

These will run daily from September 21st to September 24th. Hosts, who can speak French and Spanish as well as Arabic and English, will be available on some tours.

"This wide ranging social programme is designed to enable our guests to expand their knowledge and understanding of this unique land and its people," said Belselah.

The tours have been created with the assistance of collaborative organizations such as Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Municipality, Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding and many other organisations in the UAE.

"Our aim is to give our new international visitors a true flavour of the history, culture and modern tourist amenities the UAE has to offer," explained Rashid Al Noori, Senior General Manager of Dnata Agencies and Head of the International Transport and Freight Services Committee of Dubai 2003.

"Great care has been taken to offer a range of activities that will help our guests learn how the country has progressed from the nomadic traditions of the Bedouin and diving techniques of the legendary pearl fishers, to the dynamic land of contrasts it represents today, he added.

The Annual Meetings will be held on September 23 and 24, and the overall event will be held from September 18 to 25, 2003.

The Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund were first held in Washington DC in 1946. They are hosted by an international city one year in three. The UAE and Dubai were selected because of their highly developed transportation and logistics infrastructure, growing importance as a financial hub and its established position as an oasis of opportunity.