DCT Abu Dhabi expands online training for tourism professionals

The Abu Dhabi Specialists E-learning Programme was launched as part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s response to the pandemic

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is marking the first anniversary of its Abu Dhabi Specialists E-learning Programme by introducing new modules and markets to the training scheme.

The programme, which saw all forms of physical promotional offers, workshops and training courses shifted onto virtual platforms, was designed to educate travel industry professionals, including front-liners, product managers, tour operators, travel agencies and home-based agents, about ways to promote Abu Dhabi effectively.

The initiative has been successfully rolled out across the markets in 17 different countries and in seven different languages, and so far more than 7,000 applicants have graduated as ‘Abu Dhabi Specialists’.

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DCT Abu Dhabi executive director of Marketing and Tourism HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba said: “We are really heartened by the strong support from the global travel trade for this programme and, as such, we will be launching additional learning modules and expanding into new markets in Switzerland and Israel.

“Despite the last year being an extremely challenging period for the tourism sector, through this innovative programme we have still been able to connect with travel professionals around the world and help them understand why Abu Dhabi is such an extraordinary destination. As we open up to travellers from across the world once again, we’re confident the programme has increased awareness of Abu Dhabi’s amazing offerings, which in turn will lead to increased sales activity and lengths of stay for visitors.”

The investment in training and upskilling confirms DCT Abu Dhabi’s commitment to supporting the travel trade in key source markets, helping workers to provide quality advice and better service to customers considering Abu Dhabi as a travel destination.   

The programme is part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s Travel Trade Marketing Plan to ensure that travel specialists are equipped with the right knowledge and tools. Along with the learning modules, the specialists receive regular communications on the destination, invitations to events and access to marketing toolkits.

The new modules will be progressively rolled out in different markets and languages.

For more information, visit www.abudhabispecialist.com