DTCM to improve tourism worker skills

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has revealed plans to improve the professional skills and knowledge of several key players of tourism sector such as tour guides and hotel staff in a bid to enhance up service standards.The training initiatives are part of the efforts to create a qualified pool of professionals working in hotels and other segments of the industry.DTCM Director General Khalid A bin Sulayem said the department had been making “significant efforts” to encourage UAE nationals to work in the tourism industry so that Dubai might provide a “unique and memorable experience” for visitors. “Our goal is to provide quality services to tourists and visitors, be it the authentic information about the destination or the services rendered to the hotel guests and others. The department plays an important role in developing the tourism sector through training courses for those working in the industry,” he said.DTCM Executive Director Corporate Support Ibrahim Yaqoot said one of the most important programmes conducted by Training Solutions has been the training courses for the tour guides who play an important role in providing authentic information about the destination to tourists from different parts of the world. He said the department provides training courses for the Emiratis in addition to offering them employment opportunities in the tourism industry.The tour guides are licensed to operate only after passing in the training programmes and also able to renew their licenses after going through an update programme. These programmes are conducted four times in a year. The total number of tour guides licensed by the department stands at 1356, including 91 UAE nationals. In 2002, DTCM established a task force to work on encouraging UAE nationals to work in the tourism industry and a skills development programme was launched in cooperation with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) to enable them join the tourism industry in various positions. The Maharat programmes have helped in encouraging Emiratis to join the tourism industry, especially the hotels sector. DTCM Director of Human Resources, said Mariam Al Maeeni said the department had taken several measures to increase the number of UAE nationals working in the tourism sector over the years in cooperation with TANMIA, a division of Ministry of Labour, and Emirates National Development Programme (ENDP). Presently, 720 UAE nationals are working in the tourism industry. The Training Solutions have provided training to 7150 professionals from the tourism industry, including tour guides. The department has been conducting Concierge of the Year competition since the past nine years in to assess the skills, ability and knowledge of concierge teams of the five-star hotels in Dubai and enhance the service standards of the key area of hospitality industry. The department also organise Receptionist of the Year competition annually.