6
News
Yas Island to host NBA preseason games The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that the reigning NBA champions, Milwaukee Bucks, will face the Atlanta Hawks in the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games in October. The teams will play two preseason games at Etihad Arena on Yas Island on Thursday, October 6, and Saturday, October 8, 2022. The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 will mark the league’s first games in the UAE and the region. Ralph Rivera, NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director, said: “Bringing the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks to Abu Dhabi in October is an important milestone in the NBA and basketball’s global growth. In addition to the games, we look forward to engaging fans through a variety of interactive events and giving back to the local community through NBA Cares initiatives and youth development clinics that will teach the sport and its values to young boys and girls.” The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 are part of a groundbreaking multi-year partnership between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that earlier this year saw the launch of the first Junior NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls from 11 to 14 years of age from local schools across Abu Dhabi. The partnership also includes a
variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness and an NBA 2K League exhibition event at the Middle East Film & Comic Con. His Excellency Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, DCT Abu Dhabi Director General, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting the first NBA games in Abu Dhabi, the first to be hosted in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf, and look forward to welcoming the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and basketball fans from across the world to discover this incredible city and experience our authentic Emirati culture for themselves. “Basketball has the ability to unite communities, and the spirit of the game will be felt by players and visitors, both on and off the court. The unveiling of the NBA teams marks an important milestone in our wider partnership with this world-class sports organisation.” The partnership also sees DCT Abu Dhabi, under Visit Abu Dhabi (the tourism promotion initiative of the UAE’s capital city), serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and China. Tickets for the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 will go on sale later this year. VISIT STAND ME2350, ME2310
AlUla launches online travel training hub The Royal Commission for AlUla announced the launch of its first travel agent training programme and trade information hub – AlUla Specialist – at ATM. The online hub will drive awareness of AlUla as a new and unexplored destination and will teach international travel agents to market and sell trips to this vast desert region in Saudi Arabia. The course will comprise five training modules in English and Arabic, including an introduction to the destination, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra, the areas of Dadan and Jabal Ikmah and AlUla Old Town and Oasis. The content will also highlight the destination’s key messaging and offer insight into unique AlUla experiences to travel partners. The training programme includes a trade toolkit with downloadable factsheets, brochures, visitor guides, videos, training webinars, trade rewards and incentives, regular news and product updates as well as the opportunity to attend upcoming events.
ATM DAILIES 2022_DAY 4_NEWS.indd 6
Participants who pass the training programme will become AlUla Travel Specialists and be profiled as premium AlUla operators. “With AlUla Specialist, we have developed what we hope is best-inclass programming to support our global network of valued trade partners. AlUla is an incredibly rich and inspiring destination and we look forward to introducing AlUla to our trade partners, first digitally and then in person,” said Phillip Jones, Chief Destination Management and Marketing Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla. “We need to train and prepare the next generation of tourism professionals who we know we can trust to provide an on-demand expertise to travellers and industry partners as we concentrate our efforts to attract 180,000 visitors by the end of this year and 250,000 visitors in 2023.” VISIT STAND ME4440
11/05/2022 9:48 PM
