Conference told that tourism and hospitality sector can play crucial role in reducing the nation’s footprint

The World Green Tourism conference and exhibition opened in Abu Dhabi today with a declaration that a new kind of sustainable tourism can help protect the UAE’s cultural heritage.

H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi (EAD), told an audience of global experts and travel trade professionals that the tourism and hospitality sector has a crucial role to play in reducing the nation’s footprint and combating climate change.

HE Al Mubarak said, “Abu Dhabi has a fantastic natural heritage with a real mix of geology, habitats and species, on land and in the sea. Several million birds each year pass through Abu Dhabi on their migration from the heart of Asia southwards to Africa, or eastwards to India or beyond.

“In addition to the biodiversity value, the natural environment of the UAE is closely associated with the cultural heritage of the Emirati people.

“Given these natural assets and their importance to the cultural identity of the UAE, there is a world of opportunity for a new kind of tourism in Abu Dhabi that not only raises awareness on the unique biodiversity of the Emirate, but can also play a role in celebrating and safeguarding the cultural heritage of its people."

She added, “It is vitally important that as Abu Dhabi seeks to diversify its economy and to encourage the tourism sector to grow and contribute more to the economy, that we do so in an environmentally responsible manner. Creating jobs and building capacity amongst locals to manage our natural assets so that we can see not just a growth in tourism but in sustainable eco-tourism is equally important.”