The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi on Tuesday announced the launch of the ‘Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme’, an e-learning platform which will provide travel trade industry professionals with destination-related information about the emirate through a series of online courses.
In a statement, DCT Abu Dhabi noted that the programme will be rolled out in three phases in several languages across 17 markets, including the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and Russia, as well as GCC countries.
The first phase was launched on 4th May, in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India.
Designed specifically for industry partners such as tour operators, travel agents and wholesalers, the Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme will equip travel trade professionals with accurate and relevant information about Abu Dhabi, supporting and encouraging them to promote the destination to consumers within their markets.
The initiative comes as part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, which brought all workshops and other forms of physical training to a halt. The new training programme aims to reach a wider audience of travel trade agents worldwide. DCT Abu Dhabi has already conducted a series of virtual workshops and meetings since the coronavirus situation unfolded.
Commenting on the new programme, Saood Al Hosani, Acting Under-Secretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “This training and education platform ensures that all participating industry partners have easy and quick access to the latest content on Abu Dhabi, thus making the destination promotion aspect of their job much easier.”
The courses encompassed in the programme cover information related to key attractions in Abu Dhabi, local events, accommodation options and much more. It also includes rewards section featuring incentive programmes, exclusively available for ‘Abu Dhabi Specialists’ – travel trade agents who graduate from the main programme.
The Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme was made available for travel trade professionals on the Abu Dhabi Specialist website from 4th May 2020.