20 February 2007

The inaugural Dubai Tour Guide Festival took place on Friday, February 16th with a free walking tour of the historic Shindagah area or a tour of Al Ahmadiya School, the city's first educational institute, as Dubai's tour guides competed for the title of 'Tour Guide of the Year'

All tours included an insight into the cultural history of Dubai, the traditional economy of the Emirates, the origins of the ruling Al Maktoum family, the story of the creek's development and Port Saeed, the relevance of dhow trading to the city and the architecture of the area's buildings and souks.

Residents and visitors were invited to join the tours and assess the guides on their city knowledge and customer service techniques. These forms were reviewed by the judges' panel in order to identify DTCM's Tour Guide of the Year 2007.

The top prize of 'Dubai Tour Guide of the Year' was awarded to Toumi Mouez who demonstrated outstanding knowledge, ability and customer service levels, and received a prize of a Nile Cruise for two, sponsored by Concierge Magazine, and Dhs4,000 cash from DTCM.

Toumi, originally from Tunisia, said "This is a great win for me and I am really thrilled. I really enjoy working as a guide and I try to mix the facts with an element of entertainment, to make my guests remember their time with me. This has motivated me to improve my knowledge of Dubai and I am sure it will help me advance my career."

The runners up, who also received cash rewards, were Mr Jasim Zaiton, Mrs Shamsa Ali and Marwan Falasi.

All participating guides received a commemorative award at the Gala Dinner on the Roof Top Gardens at Wafi City

Victoria Smith, Group Director, Wafi City Marketing mentioned the criteria she believed contributed to a first class Tour Guide. "They need to be familiar with cultural differences of their guests in order to meet specific requirements. They should display a customer focussed attitude to actively engage with all guests to build relationships that create loyalty to their tours and Dubai. In order to do this they must be knowledgeable and go the extra mile to provide genuine, yet memorable experiences. Toumi proved this throughout his tours and that is why he deserves the title for this year."

The event was organised by Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in association with Concierge Magazine, supported by Dubai Women's College, and sponsored by Wafi City.

This competition gives all tour guides the opportunity to showcase their considerable knowledge and raise the tour guide profile among residents and visitors and it will also see their talents officially recognised year on year.

-Ends-

About Wafi
Wafi City is part of the Wafi Group,
owned and operated by MKM LLC.

Wafi Mall offers world class shopping, as it accommodates 250 shops and is a leading venue for international brands with many exclusive labels. Wafi City is a premier destination that includes world class restaurants, cafs, an extensive health & leisure complex with the stunning Cleopatra's Spa.

Sally Meech,
Public Relations Manager,
Central Marketing, Wafi.
P.O Box 6850,
Dubai.
Tel: 04 3244426
email: sally.meech@wafi.com

For more information on Wafi Group of Companies, please visit www.wafi.com

© Press Release 2007