UAE: Visitors, Tourists Tipped On Local Traditions

Visitors and tourists have been reminded that they are free to ‘do whatever they want as long as they respect the law and local traditions.’

The message was aired out by the Director of Tourism Security at Dubai Police, Colonel Mohammed Rashid Al Muhairi while launching an “Awareness Campaign of Dubai Visitors and Tourists.”

The campaign will run until the end of this year. It involves spreading brochures across shopping malls, beaches, airports and busy areas carrying messages reminding the visitors about respectiong local traditions

Joined by the Director of the Security Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Community Services at Dubai Police, Colonel Dr Jasim Khalil Mirza, the Tourism Security boss said; “Do whatever you can so long as it is within the law.”

Col Dr Jasim said; “We are morally an Islamic and traditionally an Arab country. We don’t expect a visitor to walk on the streets while drinking alcohol or engage into public displays of affection such as kissing”

The campaign is conducted in conjunction with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID); the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM); the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); the Department of Economic Development (DED); Emirates Central Bank; the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); Emirates Youth Hostel Association and Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.

GUIDING NOT FORCING
Col AL Muhairi said that the main goal of the campaign is to “guide tourists and foreigners on the general social conduct of the nation –and we are glad we are international- but not forcing them to adopt.”

He said the final goal is ensuring safety of the visitors and residents. “We guide them where to report and how to report.”

The guidelines as stated on the brochure guide people on how to keep their belongings on streets and in hotels; how to behave in public places and on beaches or what not to leave behind when they go to safaris.

“We have many channels that are open 24 hours a day and they can report through different platforms including social media.”

The Tourism Security officer revealed that complaints from tourists shot up in the month of September by far than the previous months.

“We registered 173 cases of communication out of which 128 were complaints in September compared to 134 cases in August (91 complaints) or 108 in July (70 complaints),” he said.

“Not all the complaints are made by the visitors. Some are raised by the proprietors of the hotels as well.”

Among the complaints they registered include a case when one visitor bought gold from the Gold Souq and thought it was fake because it was not sparkling to his expectation only to be shown with evidence that his carats were fewer than what he thought.”