Abu Dhabi launches Visitor Experience Awards to elevate tourism service standards
DCT Abu Dhabi introduces inaugural awards programme recognising excellence among 400+ tourism and cultural organisations, as the emirate targets 39.3 million annual visitors by 2030.
Abu Dhabi launches Visitor Experience Awards to elevate tourism service standards
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has introduced the emirate's first Visitor Experience Awards, a new programme designed to celebrate organisations and frontline professionals who deliver exceptional visitor experiences across Abu Dhabi's rapidly expanding tourism sector.
The inaugural awards invite more than 400 tourism and cultural organisations to participate in what will become an annual recognition programme. The initiative comes as Abu Dhabi recorded its strongest tourism performance in 2025, welcoming 26.6 million visitors and generating hotel revenues of AED 9.1 billion, marking a 19.5 per cent increase year-on-year.
Strategic alignment with Tourism Strategy 2030
The awards programme forms a key component of Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030, which sets ambitious targets to attract 39.3 million visitors annually by the end of the decade, contribute AED 90 billion to GDP, and create 178,000 new jobs in the tourism sector. The strategy has also seen DCT Abu Dhabi expand its international marketing presence from 11 to 26 markets to enhance synergy within the emirate's tourism ecosystem.
Led by DCT Abu Dhabi's Visitor Experience function, the awards span eight categories covering both businesses and frontline teams. The programme aims to recognise achievements while encouraging participating organisations to improve accessibility, introduce innovation and continuously develop their visitor services.
Two-stream recognition model
The awards operate through two distinct streams. The Business Awards will recognise organisations demonstrating strong performance across key visitor experience areas, while the Frontliner Awards celebrate employees who interact directly with visitors and create memorable experiences. A total of 24 winners will be announced at a gala ceremony attended by tourism leaders and industry representatives later this year.
An independent judging panel comprising leaders and experts from Abu Dhabi's public and private sectors will assess all submissions. The panel brings together expertise across tourism, hospitality, culture, customer experience, innovation, accessibility and service excellence.
Building on record performance
The awards launch follows a year of exceptional growth for Abu Dhabi's tourism and cultural sectors. In 2025, DCT Abu Dhabi delivered 252 cultural and leisure events attracting 4.2 million attendees, representing a 20 per cent increase from 2024. The emirate's MICE sector showed particularly strong momentum, with delegate numbers surging 40 per cent to 2.2 million.
Abu Dhabi's cultural venues also reported robust visitor numbers, with cultural sites and libraries receiving over 8.6 million visits during the year. Louvre Abu Dhabi attracted 1.4 million visitors, while Qasr Al Hosn recorded a 22 per cent year-on-year increase to 843,000 visitors.
Hotel performance metrics reflected the sector's strength, with occupancy rates reaching 81 per cent and the average length of stay across all accommodation types extending to 2.9 nights, up 3 per cent year-on-year. International arrivals from key source markets grew 10 per cent, led by India's 22 per cent surge, with Russia and the United Kingdom also serving as major visitor sources.
Commitment to global standards
Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, emphasised that visitor experience plays a critical role in how travellers perceive a destination and whether they choose to recommend or return to it.
Through the Visitor Experience Awards, we are recognising the organisations and frontline professionals setting the benchmark for excellence while inspiring continuous improvement across the sector. By celebrating innovation, accessibility and outstanding service, we are strengthening Abu Dhabi's reputation as a destination where exceptional visitor experiences are delivered consistently at every stage of the journey.
The awards initiative builds on DCT Abu Dhabi's recent achievement of a 99.6 per cent compliance score for UN Tourism-QUEST certification in early 2025, setting a new global benchmark for destination management organisations.
The Visitor Experience Awards complement other elements of DCT Abu Dhabi's broader Visitor Experience programme, including the recently launched Visitor Experience Guidelines and VX Academy. Together, these initiatives aim to build a culture of service excellence across the tourism sector, ensuring visitors receive smooth, authentic and memorable experiences from their first interaction with the destination through to the end of their journey.
