www. times.hankooki.com The top envoy of the United Arab Emirates in Seoul said his country, which has developed its tourism industry rapidly, offers great attractions to Koreans who want to experience something exotic such as oases in the desert.
``When it comes to tourism, the U.A.E. has turned into a major tourist destination during the last decade,’’ Ambassador of the U.A.E. to South Korea Abdulla Mohammed Al-Maainah said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
The career diplomat pointed out why this has happened _ the U.A.E’s strategic and geographical location, security, tranquility, shopping centers, guaranteed winter sun, top class accommodation, a high level of services and outstanding recreational facilities.
Al-Maainah said that the U.A.E. has become a center for tourism since the 1980s thanks to the attractions of its heritage and culture such as camel, horse and boat racing.
He did not fail to mention the first underwater hotel in Dubai and the seven-star hotel Burj Al Arab.
``Tourist destinations can also be found in the other six emirates of the federation,’’ he continued. ``These include the business and congress tourism encouraged in Abu Dhabi, cultural tourism promoted in Sharjah, and historical sites, natural landscapes, ecology, medicine and sports in Ras Al Khaimah.’’
The ambassador stressed that all the emirates are now taking advantage of the ``Dubai effect’’ by developing new tourist attractions. In other words, he said, Dubai successfully developed an exemplary tourist site that serves as an example to the U.A.E.
Another positive point of traveling to the Middle East country is that Korean tourists do not require visas to enter the nation, he said.
During the interview, Al-Maainah, who arrived in Seoul last October, showed great interest in promoting not only tourism but also many other fields such as investment in the U.A.E.
The ambassadorial post in the U.A.E. Embassy in Seoul had been vacant for one year before he came here.
``Korea is the U.A.E.’s second biggest partner in terms of imports,’’ he said. ``I’d like to promote further economic relations between the two countries.’’
To this end, the embassy plans to open a commercial section, which will provide all the detailed information of business opportunities with Korean companies, according to the ambassador. The new section will also make information on tourism available for those who intend to visit the U.A.E.
Asked about his short experience in Seoul, Al-Maainah said, ``Some Korean people have concrete knowledge about the U.A.E. while some of them don’t know anything about it.’’
``I feel that Korean people want to know about the U.A.E. because they want to know about other countries.’’
To raise Koreans’ understanding of the U.A.E., the ambassador will organize cultural events such as ``The U.A.E Week’’ probably next March. ``It is our mission to let Koreans know about the U.A.E. through cultural events,’’ he said.
While being photographed with the U.A.E. flag, the ambassador made the surprising revelation that he designed the flag 35 years ago when he was 18 years old.
``I submitted my design for our national flag to the government, and mine was selected,’’ he said. ``I am perhaps the only ambassador who designed the national flag.’’
The national flag has four colors: red, green, white and black. The meaning of each color is well summarized in a poem by Safiyuldin Al-Hali, the U.A.E. poet, the ambassador said.
The ambassador read the poem, which says, ``Our deeds are white, Our land is green, Our battles are black, Our swords are red.’’ In short, people of the U.A.E. are righteous, kind and charitable, and the land is fertile. Faced with battles, they are courageous, according to the poem. |