A first of its kind in the region, The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi launched a safe and clean certification program. The program seeks to uplift and standardize cleanliness and hygiene levels across all businesses and organizations in the tourism sector, including hotels, malls and other attractions. DCT Abu Dhabi will offer certifications that ensure compliance of standardized hygiene levels, and the program will roll out in phases, with the first dedicated to hotels.

“Our priority is to ensure that our residents and visitors feel safe and comfortable in Abu Dhabi,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing, DCT Abu Dhabi. “And as hygiene and cleanliness have risen to become vital factors considered by all individuals today, we believe that it is imperative for all institutions and businesses to elevate and then maintain hygiene standards. As the leaders in tourism, our role is to pave the way for industry players and set standards that suit our consumers. Through this tourism board-led program, we hope to boost the confidence of consumers when considering Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination. Our dedicated team has been working closely with different stakeholders to ensure that this program considers all elements of health and safety and we encourage all hotels and industry partners to attain the certificate.”

In March, the United Arab Emirates launched a National Disinfection Program as part of the preventative and precautionary measures to contain COVID-19.