Abu Dhabi, UAE, 16 March 2020: Following the launch of the ‘Ghadan 21’ programme, HE Saood Al Hosani, Acting Undersecretary, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi said: “We at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) value the initiatives launched by HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to maintain Abu Dhabi’s economic gains and support the private sector. These initiatives will undoubtedly make a positive impact on the economy and drive economic growth, especially as they exempt potential investors from certain fees, incentivising them to launch new services or major projects at the lowest cost. 

Last year, we reaped the benefits of reducing tourism and municipality fees in the emirate. Therefore, cancelling all tourism and municipality fees across the tourism and leisure sectors throughout 2020 will undoubtedly mitigate the adverse effects of the global crisis.

We will continue to honour the pledge to support all new investments within our mandate; as these play a pivotal part in building a more diverse and competitive national economy at the global level, in line with the UAE Vision 2021.

The stimulus packages launched by the Executive Council, as part of the Abu Dhabi Government’s ‘Ghadan 21’ Accelerator Programme, underscore the Government’s commitment to continue with its progress in light of current events, while deploying all capabilities to implement development initiatives that align with this programme. This will serve to cement Abu Dhabi’s position and further its reputation across the local and international communities as the hub for investment and business by boosting its competitiveness and improving the services provided by SMEs, which account for a large portion of the UAE’s economy.

It is clear that our Government – under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the vision of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – is sparing no effort in driving the growth of the UAE community and providing a conducive environment that enables our youth to further economic diversification, which in turn will ensure success for their businesses while supporting their contributions in the fields of creativity, innovation and global leadership.”