Mohammed attends Arabic Language meet

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, met today with the visiting Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and discussed ways of enhancing fraternal ties between the leaderships and people of the two countries.

During a meeting at the Emirates Towers Executive Office, Prince Salman conveyed to Sheikh Mohammed the best wishes of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain for good health and happiness.

Prince Salman lauded the qualitative progress the UAE is witnessing, saying that Dubai is experiencing new developments in social, cultural, humanitarian and urban sectors.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, Mohammed bin Abdullah

Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, and a number of senior local officials attended the meeting.

Mohammed bin Rashid attends opening session of Arabic Language Conference

Under his patronage, the UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended today the opening session of the 2nd Arabic Language Conference here at Al Bustan Rotana Dubai.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development in his opening speech extended thanks to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for patronising the event which is meant to protect and empower the original Arabic language.

The event is organised by the International Council for Arabic Language in cooperation with Unesco and The Association of Arab Universities.

Ali Abdullah bin Moussa, Secretary General  of the International Council for Arabic Language, in a statement extended thanks to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for sponsoring the event, which comes in implementation of his initiatives pertaining to the preservation, development and empowerment of the Arabic Language, particularly among the youth and the social and official circles in general.

Humaid bin Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education, Juma al-Majid, Chairman of Juma al-Majid Cultural & Heritage Centre, Ibrahim Mohammed Bumelha, Advisor to Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs, officials, educational leaders and cultural figures attended the ceremony.

Mohammed decree on new hotel classification scheme

In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has issued Decree No. 17 of 2013 on licensing and classifying hotel establishments in the Emirate of Dubai.

The decree also defines the specialisations of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) as a competent official body in the emirate entrusted to regulate licensing and classification of hotel establishments. The new decree contributes to raising the standards of high-quality service for hotels in Dubai.

This decree shall be effective after three months of the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

To that effect, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) today announced the new system which will improve clarity and increase the transparency about the type and quality of hotel rooms and accommodation available across the Emirate and the services provided within the establishments.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market - at which DTCM has been outlining the ‘Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020’- and comes a year after the scheme was ‘soft-launched’ at the same event in 2012.

Following a period of extensive research, benchmarking against key local and international destinations and discussions with the hotel industry, the Hotel Classification Scheme has now been put into effect. Designed to provide the industry and visitors with clarity and transparency on the type and quality of each hotel establishment within the Emirate, the system adopts a multi-layered framework to rate and categorise each hotel. The system provides specifications on the requirements for different types and levels of Guest Accommodations and its multi-layered framework will formalise the quality and standard of guest accommodation and encourage a wider range and choice for visitors.

Helal AlMarri, Director General of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: "Our current system of classification dates back to 1998 and requires updating due to the vast growth of the hotel and hospitality sector in Dubai in the past 15 years. Following the soft launch of the new classification system this time last year, we have benchmarked it against grading schemes from markets in major destinations regionally and around the world, to help ensure that Dubai’s classifications are at the forefront globally. We have also worked in close partnership with the hotel industry to ensure that our new criteria match the range of tourist accommodation in the market today and that there is a smooth transition from the old classification system to the new one."

He said: "By adopting a multi-tiered framework of ratings, categories and designators, clearer choice will be provided to visitors. At the same time, new marketing opportunities are provided to hotels, with the ranges of categories and designators demonstrating the wide offering that has developed in Dubai, from a deluxe hotel apartment in the city to a family and golf resort on the beach, to a business hotel close to the airport. It’s important to note that the classification will not be an instant assessment - a grace period of one year has been allowed for in order to give the management of existing hotel establishments the time to alter their offer to match the rating, category and designators that they want to achieve."

The Dubai Tourism Vision for 2020 was approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai earlier this week, and includes the target of 20 million visitors per year by the year 2020 – an increase of almost 100% on the 10.16 million visitor figure achieved in 2012.