Gulf Products Competition to feature 308 participants and 532 participants for the Emirati Competition.
UAE – Dubai World Hospitality Championship (DWHC) has revealed that out of the original 3385 would-be participants that applied for registration in June, the DWHC has revealed a list of 2588 qualified participants. After a series of evaluations, 532 participants from the UAE have been qualified to compete in the ‘Emirati Competition”.
In what concern the “International Competition”, 12 teams from the GCC and Arabic countries will take part in this event; countries represented include United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Tunisia, Kingdom of Morocco and Algeria. Meanwhile, 308 will participate in the “Gulf Products Competition”, which will feature 50 participants from the GCC and ten participants per countries of Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Sultanate of Oman.
From Right to left: Ali Bin Thalith, Abdul Baset Al Janahi, H. E. Ahmed Bin Hareb, Ahmed Sharif and Ahmad Al Falasi.
DWHC’s “Gulf Exhibition” will throw the spotlight on household products made by 304 participants who will take part in the food creations category and in the kits and utensils hospitality category. As for the “Gulf Products Competition” 308 participants will showcase their skills in the Oud and Perfumes category and homemade category.
H. E. Ahmed bin Hareb, President of DWHC, announced the launch of a photography competition that will run during the exciting 3 days championship. The photography contest, which is being held in cooperation with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA), will choose six winning photos-three under the ‘Diyafatouna’ (Our Hospitality) category; which demonstrate the aesthetic side of the Emirati hospitality, and another three under the ‘Tourathuna’ (Our Legacy) category; which demonstrate the most beautiful imagery that express the ancient Emirati legacy. The photography competition will complement the excitement and interest generated by the coming tournament.
Bin Hareb explained that the DWHC has developed a platform for the exhibition aimed at showing support for the Gulf region’s outstanding talent-further encouraging them to put their products in the market, including household products, Oud and Perfumes.
H. E. Ahmed Bin Hareb and Abdul Baset Al Janahi during the signing of the MOU.
Bin Hareb pointed out that this year’s championship will witness strong competition among the participants, who have all demonstrated high levels of creativity and skill during the evaluation and selection phase. In fact, he stressed that participants of the “Emirati Competition”, particularly the female competitors, are expected to showcase their talents across the competition’s four divisions. “The Emirati Competition” is aimed at promoting local products across a global level, as well as promote Emirati creative talent in the culinary arts and showcase traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation.
Bin Hareb said, “The “International competition” will showcase the participation of international, Arab and GCC teams composed of renowned chefs and culinary professionals. During the championship, they will prepare best-in-class food creations before an international audience and a panel of top-notch judges. The UAE team, which will be headed by Chef Musabbeh Al Kaabi and Chef Ali Salem, will compete head to head with 11 international teams and 77 participants in this category.”
Hareb’s statements were made during a recent press conference organized by ‘Za’abeel Palace Hospitality to announce the number of participants in the coming DWHC, which will kick off on October 30, 2014 and run until November 1, 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
Ahmed Sharif, Vice President, DWHC, said, “We are looking forward in particular to reviewing the skills of the Emirati chefs who have the potential and the qualifications to compete on an international level. The public will also have opportunity to witness and experience a wide range of flavors from the dishes to be prepared by the local and regional chefs. The DWHC has become one of the major international events that specialize in the local and international hospitality industry.”
DWHC will be giving awards to all winners of the four competitions – International Competition, Gulf Products Competition, Emirati Competition and Hospitality Sector Competition. Ahmed Sharif, Vice President of DWHC, said that the second cycle is receiving significant support from H. H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, following the great success of the first cycle, especially in terms of number of participation and visitors and achievement of new Guinness World Records. These achievements, according to Sharif, have urged the DWHC Committee to improve the level and standards of the event in line with the objectives aimed at offering an interactive platform to boost communication amongst international hospitality cultures and promote Emirati hospitality and national talents worldwide.
The press conference witnessed a MoU signing on the establishment of an incubator between “Dubai World Hospitality Championship” and “Hamdan Innovation Incubator” one of the initiatives of The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Developments to enhance embracing Emirati talent, as well as supporting excellence and innovation to youth projects. The agreement was signed by H. E. Ahmed Bin Hareb, General Manager of Za’abeel Palace Hospitality and the President of DWHC, and by H.E. Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development.
DWHC is widely being supported by an elite list of official sponsors coming from various industry segments. Ahmad Al Falasi, Executive Director, Property Management at Emaar Properties, the official and strategic partner of DWHC, said, “Emaar is happy to support such a prestigious and widely acclaimed event, which showcases professionalism, excellence and exclusivity and further represents the art of hospitality and traditions of the UAE.”
From his part, Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME development, said: “We are pleased to cooperate with DWHC, which shares us our vision to nurture young national talents and provide the necessary support for them in order to able to launch quality projects that would represent an important addition to consolidate Dubai’s status as the capital of entrepreneurship at the regional level. We wish the success for Dubai World Hospitality Championship 2014 which aim to attract creative Emirati talents in the hospitality industry and tourism.”
Ali Bin Thalith, General Secretary, HIPA, stressed on the efforts of the DWHC organizing committee to establish the UAE as a global hub for innovation and excellence in the field of hospitality. He also commended the move to launch a photo competition within the tournament. Bin Thalith said: “At HIPA, we care primarily to foster the culture of the picture, and to emphasize on its leading role in making opinions in all fields, therefore; HIPA have proven in four years its reach in the photo imaging industry to the most prominent names in this field worldwide. Through this perspective, we have provided support for many of the initiatives that have succeeded in giving the picture the right to be an ambassador for event details and to highlight its features to the public in a distinctive way, including the Dubai World Hospitality Championship, this unique championship, which will launch its second cycle after last year’s great success.”
DWHC draws a wide local, regional and international interest as it is the first global event that celebrates the antiquity of UAE local heritage. DWHC, which will be organized by Zabeel Palace Hospitality and in cooperation with the ‘World Federation of Chefs Societies’ and ‘Emirates Culinary Guild,’ and with the support of the ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders,’ Fly Dubai, Emaar Properties, and Dubai Press Club, aims to position the UAE as a global hub for innovation and excellence in hospitality services and standards around the world, in addition to create new cooperation opportunities at all international, Arab and Gulf levels, exchanging experiences, activating the academic and scientific role so as to enhance the hospitality industry and highlight its role in community service.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
