Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts, heritage, and literature, has announced that it will be participating in ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, to be held in Berlin, Germany, from 6^th to 10^th March 2019.

Dubai Culture, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, will participate in the global event under the Dubai Pavilion umbrella. During the course of the five-day event, Dubai Culture will call attention to its art activities, cultural events, and heritage initiatives, and highlight Dubai’s thriving art and cultural landscape to position it as one of the world’s leading cultural tourism destinations.

Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General at Dubai Culture, said, “Our participation in this fair is in line with our mission to promote Dubai as a world-class creative and sustainable city for arts, culture, heritage, and literature. We will continue to work with our partners to enhance Dubai’s stand as a leading artistic, cultural, and tourism city.”

Al Nabouda elaborated, “At Dubai Culture, our agenda is to participate at major global fairs and exhibitions through regional and international programs, in line with the UAE Soft Power Strategy. ITB Berlin is a unique platform that would help us to integrate our efforts with other government entities and to work together, to elevate Dubai’s cultural tourism, thereby further diversifying the economy of the Emirate and developing cultural and creative industries.”

A high-ranking delegation from Dubai Culture will attend the event and welcome a number of international VIPs, who are expected to visit the pavilion. The delegation will also participate in an official welcome ceremony, to be organised by the UAE Embassy on 6^th March, on the sidelines of the fair.

Rafia Al Suwaidi, Director of the International Relations Office at the Dubai Culture, said, “Our participation at ITB Berlin will open doors for us to engage with a wide international audience. It will also serve as a platform for us to foster collaborations with global government entities.”

She continued, “Adding to our efforts of promoting Dubai’s tourism sector, we will highlight many of Dubai’s heritage sites to enhance its presence on the global cultural tourism map and promote it to visitors from around the world. We have already completed our preparations to ensure visitors have easy access to all the relevant information and their visit to our pavilion is fruitful.”

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, “Dubai Tourism and Dubai Culture work hand-in-hand to promote Dubai and highlight its cultural and historic assets. Dubai has succeeded in developing a cultural scene and expanding its creative horizons, at a time when tourists are seeking authentic and distinctive experiences. We also share Dubai Culture’s objective of enhancing Dubai’s position as a vibrant world-class Arab city, led by an inspiring vision for enriching culture and arts, regionally and globally.”

Kazim added, “We are looking forward to showcasing Dubai’s cultural diversity at ITB Berlin, which continues to provide opportunities for raising awareness on Dubai’s attractive features and offers, along with our partners in Germany and other participating countries.”

Through its participation in this event, which will host over 10,000 exhibitors and receive over 160,000 visitors, Dubai Culture aims to promote its flagship events and initiatives. Dubai Culture delegation will receive interested visitors and brief them about the latest projects in the museums and libraries sectors. These include Al Shindagha Museum, Etihad Museum, Al Safa Art & Design Library, and Dubai Art Season, one of Dubai Culture’s flagship initiatives, that celebrates the Dubai’s thriving creative scene internationally.

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the UAE’s rich heritage. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilizations and cultures to enhance Dubai’s position as a creative and sustainable global city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature, with the aim to empower these sectors by developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally.