Abu Dhabi Information Tourism Conference kicks off

The four-day Conference 2006, targeting hotel concierge, guest relations and training managers, has been organized by the Tourism Training Section of the Licensing and Classification Division in the ADTA and is the first of its kind.

the Abu Dhabi Information Tourism Conference is the latest initiative by the ADTA to provide unique educational opportunity for its tourism and hospitality industry partners to increase their knowledge on a variety of relevant topics pertaining to the emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general.

The ADTA is working together with a number of governmental and private sector bodies to create an exciting and intense four-day programme including lectures, workshops and educational field visits. Participants should expect to increase their knowledge by receiving relevant and correct information pertaining to Abu Dhabi's infrastructure, environment, culture, heritage and tourist attractions throughout the programme. They will embrace a new level of confidence in their ability to research and present Abu Dhabi information to visitors.
Organisations working alongside the ADTA to bring this event into fruition include the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Etihad Airways, ALDAR, Tourism Development Investment Company, Emirates Heritage Club, ,Emirates Environmental Agency- Abu Dhabi, and Architectural Heritage Society of the Emirates.

Speaking about the objectives of the conference, Nasser Al Reyami, ADTA Acting Director of the Licensing Division, said the conference was aimed at upgrading the skills of professionals working at the hospitality and tourism industry in Abu Dhabi.

"By instigating this type of intensive training programme and activity, we ultimately aim at developing the competitive edge of our industry partners. By the end of the programme participants will be able to present Abu Dhabi information which will enhance the visitor experience', he said.

"Research supports the notion that people who receive formal training can be 230% more productive than untrained colleagues who are working in the same role", says Mr. Al Reyami. "With this in mind, ADTA's tourism related programmes have been developed after extensive research and benchmarking with world-class organisations and are on offer to support the growth of Abu Dhabi's rapidly increasing tourism and hospitality's labour force".

The art of presenting good quality, relevant information to visitors will be the focal point during this conference and a wide-range of topics will be covered during the four-day programme that will include, Development of Abu Dhabi's Tourism Industry now and into the future, , Culture and Heritage, Architectural Heritage of the UAE, Ancient History of Abu Dhabi , Geography & Sustainable Development of the UAE, New Developments and finally the skills to create a superior Abu Dhabi visitor experience.

The participants will also go on educational site visits which will include, among other sites, the Cultural Foundation, Qasr Al Hosn and various other tourist attractions. Al Ain will also be a key part of the programme and a whole day has been dedicated to this unique destination. Visits to Al Ain National Museum, Al Ain Oasis and Al Ain Palace Museum will be on the programme.

Michelle Sabti, from ADTA's Training Section, "Tourism is a service driven industry and the key to improving service standards is to invest in human resources by creating training opportunities that focus on enhancing the knowledge and skills of our tourism professionals".

Hotel concierge and guest relations are dealing with Abu Dhabi visitors face-to-face on a daily basis and by offering this programme, we aim to elevate their confidence and level of professionalism when dealing with Abu Dhabi visitors", she added.

The Abu Dhabi Information Tourism Conference is one of many information based training programmes that the ADTA training Section has on offer for the tourism and hospitality sector. "Research supports the notion that people who receive formal training can be 230% more productive than untrained colleagues who are working in the same role".