The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the launch of a safe and clean certification programme aiming to uplift and standardise the cleanliness and hygiene levels across all businesses and organisations in the tourism sector.

Through the current drive, the DCT Abu Dhabi aims to safeguard the health and wellbeing of consumers by offering certifications that ensure the compliance of standardised hygiene levels in tourism destinations and industry businesses within the emirate.

"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 at 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 programme, 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 programme considers all elements of health and safety and we encourage all hotels and industry partners to attain the certificate."

The certification programme was developed in partnership with leading world developers and will be rolled out in phases. Phase one will be dedicated to hotels in Abu Dhabi, with other tourism attractions and businesses to follow. Interested organisations are strongly urged to follow DCT Abu Dhabi's social media channels and website for updates regarding the program.

The latest initiative from DCT Abu Dhabi comes as part of the organisation's commitment to ensuring the health and safety of its residents and visitors, as well as its response to the change in consumer trends, behaviors, and expectations as a result of COVID-19.

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The pandemic has called for many different hygiene measures across the globe, with governments rolling out a series of disinfection programs to ensure the safety of the public. In late March, the UAE launched the National Disinfection Programme as part of the preventive and precautionary measures taken by the UAE to contain the spread of COVID-19. The country was highly praised for its excellent intervention measures globally, which included health, hygiene, and safety regulations as well as other supportive schemes which consider the economic impact of COVID-19. (IANS)