Industry Development Department is part of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s Tourism Standards Division and oversees the following sections:
The department's mandate is to collaborate with its stakeholders to raise the level of professionalism within Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry. The Industry Development Department is responsible for promoting compliance of the tourism regulatory framework by sharing best practices within the industry, assessing training needs and organizing training programs to address these needs.
Its key roles are as follows:
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To identify Abu Dhabi tourism industry manpower development needs.
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To conduct professional development programmes, such as training workshops and seminars as well as research initiatives in collaboration with local and international educational institutions.
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To entice UAE Nationals to seek employment within the tourism sector.
Training and Accreditation Section
The Training and Accreditation Section’s role is to engage, coordinate and collaborate with tourism partners to develop manpower capability within the tourism industry. The section will assess industry training needs and customize accredited professional development programmes required by industry members.
The section’s key roles are as follows:
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To develop and implement tourism manpower development strategies and initiatives.
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To roll-out research and professional development programmes in collaboration with tourism partners.
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To work with renowned educational institutions to build a tourism knowledge base to support Abu Dhabi's hospitality and tourism operations.
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To train and license tourist guides within the emirate.
The Training and Accreditation Section’s educational partners include Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Travel Industry Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Hotel & Tourism Management, amongst others.
Industry Awareness Section
The Industry Awareness Section undertakes promotional activities to increase the awareness within Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector of the emirates’s policies and regulations relating to the tourism regulatory framework. Through open communication and the sharing of best practices, the section aims to encourage voluntary compliance of its regulatory codes. The Industry Awareness Section also aims to educate UAE Nationals on the development of the tourism sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Hospitality and tourism awareness programmes and career talks are conducted to better prepare UAE Nationals to seek employment or entrepreneurship opportunities within the sector.
The section’s key roles are as follows:
- To conduct communication briefings, and awareness sessionsfor industry partners on the existing regulatory framework covering EHSMS,Green Hotels, Licensing and Classification.
- To conduct consultation focus group and feedback sessions to gain industry consensus on new regulatory requirements being planned.
- To roll out tourism industry awareness campaigns as well as training programmes for UAE Nationals as part of the emirate’s tourism emiratisation programme.