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United Arab Emirates, 14 November 2010: Organisers of World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi – the ground-breaking conference and exhibition being held in the UAE capital this month – have earmarked the event’s final day, Wednesday November 24, 2010, as ‘Green Tourism Careers Day’ as the industry looks to sustain and inspire human resource capital.
The event will offer college and university students, as well as those who are just starting their working lives, the chance to discover how businesses, locally and globally, are introducing sustainable practices to reshape the tourism industry.
“This will prove invaluable for anyone interested in working in the travel and tourism sector and who is interested in preserving the culture and environment of the United Arab Emirates,” said Rick Theobald, Event Director, Streamline Marketing Group (SMG), which is organising the event.
The day’s highlight promises to be two interactive panel discussions on ‘Preparing Green Tourism Champions.’
The powerful line-up of speakers includes Elham Al-Qasimi, the first Emirati and Arab woman Antarctic Explorer; Linden Coppel, Head of Environment and Sustainability for Etihad Airways; Sarah Dayboll, Manager, Environmental Affairs for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts International, and Ghanim Al Marri, Corporate Emiratisation Director for Jebel Ali Hotels. The discussions will be moderated by Mohamed Al Hammadi, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Al Arabiya.
The event’s patron, HH Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority which is backing the conference and exhibition, hailed the initiative as a significant step forward in securing the destination’s sustainability.
“The tourism industry is extremely service, and therefore people, orientated and for every destination the principle foundation for success is friendly, efficient professionals with a thorough understanding of the culture, heritage and environment of the region they work in. This is particularly true for Abu Dhabi as we seek to establish a sustainable tourism industry, and this initiative will help encourage the next generation to become a part of our vision,” he said.
H.E Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Assistant Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, which is the organisation co-hosting the conference, added, “At the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, we are preserving Abu Dhabi’s natural heritage, protecting our future, and raise awareness about environmental issues. Together, with our partners in the tourism sector, we are working to find solutions to many environmental problems. The UAE has followed through with sincere initiatives as it tries to develop in a sustainable way.”
World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi runs from November 22 to 24 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event, which is co-hosted by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi – will boast over 50 speakers including international sustainability pioneers, tourism ministers and heads of tourism bodies and UN representatives while the exhibition will feature national arenas from Japan, Thailand, Germany and the UK.
World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi, a first-of-its-kind event for the Arabian Gulf, is the debut meetings industry initiative to emerge from ADTA’s Advantage Abu Dhabi incentive programme which catalyses and seeds new business tourism and meetings concepts. The event reflects the core values of the Abu Dhabi Government’s 2030 plan which clearly identifies tourism as a key economic diversification driver and environmental sustainability as an underlying fundamental of the emirate.
The event is a forum for key industry leaders and associations to discuss the environmental challenges facing the tourism industry, highlighting ‘green’ initiatives, technologies and solutions currently being integrated into mainstream industry practices.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
