Abu Dhabi sets a culture floor for hotels
Abu Dhabi will require its hotels to put Emirati culture into the guest stay. The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, known as DCT Abu Dhabi, launched the Emirati Dhiyafa (Hospitality) Standards on 7 September 2026, per the emirate's own media office.
The framework writes Emirati hospitality and national identity into the visitor journey at hotels and hotel apartments across the emirate.
Sixty-five standards across eight stages
DCT Abu Dhabi built 65 standards covering eight stages of the visitor journey, from pre-arrival messages to departure. The department developed the framework with the National Projects Office, supported by the National Identity Committee under the Education, Human Development and Community Council.
The work ties to the Emirati National Identity Strategy and to Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030. The release states that the standards reinforce Emirati identity across society and carry the Emirati code of conduct and etiquette of Al Sana'.
The minimum a property adopts
Hotels must put at least 20 standards in place, ten mandatory and ten self-selected. Hotel apartments carry a floor of at least 10 standards, five mandatory and five self-selected, drawn from a streamlined framework.
Participating properties receive implementation guidance, cultural training programmes and an operational playbook.
The five published mandatory standards
Hotel websites must carry a section or links on the history and culture of the UAE. Pre-arrival messages must explain how to experience the country's culture, heritage and natural setting.
The guest welcome area must carry at least one employee in traditional Emirati attire at all times. Guest-facing and food and beverage staff must be able to name and explain at least three traditional Emirati dishes and their role in Emirati dining. At least one guest-facing public area must carry an Emirati heritage-inspired design element.
Marhaba AlSaa, coffee and dates
Guests meet a traditional welcome greeting, Marhaba AlSaa, with Emirati coffee and locally sourced dates of a traditional Emirati variety. The release names harees and balaleet as examples.
The deadline and the mark
DCT Abu Dhabi plans full implementation across the emirate in the first quarter of 2027. A future guest-facing Emirati Dhiyafa Mark will recognise properties that exceed the baseline, across three tiers of excellence. The department gives no launch date for the mark.
Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said the standards "translate these timeless values into a framework that will enrich every stage of the visitor journey".
The read from the trade
One Mile at a Time covered the standards on 17 September 2026 and called parts of the list random. The post singles out the dish requirement for staff in an Irish-themed pub, and argues a welcome should start at the airport and immigration. The five standards the post lists sit among the ten mandatory.