Three drivers and a phone number: What Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island understands about soft power
I stepped out of the car into the plaza outside the Louvre Abu Dhabi and immediately reconsidered my plans. The heat was serious. The kind that makes distances renegotiate themselves. I stood there measuring the walk from the car park to the entrance when a golf cart pulled up quietly beside me. “Welcome to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Please, come.” A driver in a neat uniform. A smile that belonged to…
In the plaza outside the Louvre Abu Dhabi, I encountered a driver who offered to take me on a tour of the museum and lagoon before entering. Taking his phone, he captured various angles of the lagoon without haste before leaving it to me. At the fountain, he insisted that I leave without a photograph, but I declined. Exiting the museum, a security guard directed me to a limousine lane.
The driver, anticipating my query about a nearby restaurant, suggested experiencing the island first and leaving dining until the end. He pointed me to Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which would open soon. Before departing, he gave me his mobile number, stating that their duty was to serve guests. Throughout the day, three drivers demonstrated exceptional hospitality, extending beyond their assigned duties.
This experience highlighted Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island's soft power, which goes beyond mere cultural institutions. The island's coherence, evident in the well-planned concentration of institutions, is a deliberate achievement that influences the city's reputation.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
