16 March 2010
Emiratis being encouraged to work in tourism sector, says bin Sulayem

Best Concierge and Receptionist awards help improve services to hotel guests

91 UAE nationals among 1356 licensed tour guides in Dubai

7150 tourism industry professionals trained by DTCM

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has taken up significant training initiatives to enhance the professional skills and knowledge of several key players of tourism sector like tour guides and concierge and receptionists of hotel establishments as part of the efforts to enhance the service standards of the emirate's expanding tourism industry.

The initiatives are part of the efforts to develop the tourism sector in the emirate and a qualified pool of professionals working in the hotels and other segments of the industry.

The department had established Training Solutions in the year 2001 to provide services to the tourism industry to develop the skills and professional knowledge of the human resources of the tourism industry.

The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, said: "  Our goal is to provide quality services to tourists and visitors, be it the authentic information about the destination or the services rendered to the hotel guests and others. The department plays an important role in developing the tourism sector through training courses for those working in the industry."

He said DTCM has been making significant efforts to encourage the UAE nationals to work in the tourism industry which will help provide Dubai visitors a unique and memorable experience.

Mr. Ibrahim Yaqoot, DTCM Executive Director Corporate Support, said one of the most important programmes conducted by Training Solutions has been the training courses for the tour guides who play an important role in providing authentic information about the destination to tourists from different parts of the world. He said the department provides training courses for the Emiratis in addition to offering them employment opportunities in the tourism industry.

The tour guides are licensed to operate only after passing in the training programmes and also able to renew their licenses after going through an update programme. These programmes are conducted four times in a year. The total number of tour guides licensed by the department stands at 1356, including 91 UAE nationals. 

In 2002, DTCM established a task force to work on encouraging UAE nationals to work in the tourism industry and a skills development programme was launched in cooperation with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) to enable them join the tourism industry in various positions.

The Maharat programmes have helped in encouraging Emiratis to join the tourism industry, especially the hotels sector.

Ms. Mariam Al Maeeni, DTCM Director of Human Resources, said the department has taken several measures to increase the number of UAE nationals working in the tourism sector over the years in cooperation with TANMIA, a division of Ministry of Labour, and Emirates National Development Programme (ENDP). 

Presently, 720 UAE nationals are working in the tourism industry.

The Training Solutions have provided training to 7150 professionals from the tourism industry, including tour guides.

The department has been conducting Concierge of the Year competition since the past nine years in to assess the skills, ability and knowledge of concierge teams of the five-star hotels in Dubai and enhance the service standards of the key area of hospitality industry. The department also organise Receptionist of the Year competition annually.   

-Ends-

DTCM is the principal authority for the development of tourism in Dubai. Established in 1997, it is the sole licensing body for the hotel establishments and tourism-related businesses. Its supervisory role covers heritage sites, cruise terminal and convention bureau. DTCM has 18 overseas offices, including three in China and two in Saudi Arabia.

www.dubaitourism.ae and www.definitelydubai.ae 

Mohamed Abdul Mannan
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Tel. + 971 4 223 00 00
Fax: +971 4 223 00 22
P. O. Box 594,
Dubai,
U.A.E.
Website: www.dubaitourism.ae

© Press Release 2010