Abu Dhabi launches awards to recognise tourism excellence

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has introduced the Visitor Experience Awards to honor organisations and professionals delivering outstanding experiences to tourists. The awards aim to promote exceptional tourist services, elevate standards in Abu Dhabi's tourism sector, and encourage innovation, accessibility, and continuous improvement.

An independent panel of leaders and experts from the public and private sectors will judge the contenders, selecting 24 winners to be announced before year-end.

Abu Dhabi welcomed a record 26.6 million visitors in the previous year, with cultural sites, libraries, and major events contributing significantly to this figure. The emirate plans to increase this number to 39.3 million by 2030, while also aiming to boost the tourism sector's GDP contribution to Dh90 billion ($24.5 billion) by the end of the decade.

The Visitor Experience Awards are part of DCT Abu Dhabi's broader Visitor Experience programme, which includes the recently launched Visitor Experience Guidelines and the VX Academy. These initiatives have been implemented to strengthen Abu Dhabi's position as a leading international tourism and cultural destination by recognizing the people and organizations that shape visitors' experiences.

Several new attractions are set to open in Abu Dhabi, further enhancing its appeal to visitors. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, is scheduled to open on December 11 and will become the largest Guggenheim museum in its network. The 20,000-capacity Sphere Abu Dhabi will also open by the end of 2029 on Yas Island. The city has also unveiled plans for Disney Abu Dhabi, its first theme park in the Middle East, which was confirmed last year.

Additionally, a Harry Potter-themed land is under development as part of an expansion of Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi.