Ski Dubai adjudged ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’

Our Correspondent

Ski Dubai has never been short of accolades. The latest in its kitty is the Best Service Performance Brand (Hospitality and Entertainment) award at the Business Excellence Awards hosted by Dubai Economy, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

The World Ski Awards is the most prestigious awards programme in the ski tourism industry. It covers an array of categories and has the best resorts, hotels and ski industry companies from around the globe competing for recognition. Ski Dubai was nominated from amongst eight internationally recognised indoor ski resorts in Egypt, Germany, China, Spain, Scotland, New Zealand and Netherlands and was declared the overall winner after bagging the highest number of votes from ski industry professionals and consumers.

Ski Dubai was launched in 2005 by Majid Al Futtaim, a pioneer Emirati shopping mall and leisure parks developer, as the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort. Since then, it has cemented its position as one of the region’s most iconic attractions. So far it has welcomed more than 11 million tourists and snow sports enthusiasts from around the world. It continues to enhance guest experience by adding new attractions including a family-friendly snow park complete with a wide variety of fun activities. A hugely popular event is the penguin encounter; the park has a colony of King and Gentoo penguins.

Ski Dubai has fuelled sporting tourism in the region and a winter sports culture in the UAE. Each year, 80,000 people check out its skiing and snowboarding.

The state-of-the-art facility has also hosted numerous international events such as UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships, The World Cup and Para Snowboard World Cup, which attract competitors and spectators from around the globe contributing to the UAE’s tourism industry.

Mohammed El Etri, Director of Global Snow Operations & Projects at Majid Al Futtaim, expressed happiness in the award and said: “The World Ski Awards are the definitive benchmark of excellence and Ski Dubai is proud to be awarded the ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’ for the fifth consecutive year. Being in this category amongst other well-established ski resorts, including our sister brand Ski Egypt, inspires us to keep raising the bar as part of our endless pursuit at Majid Al Futtaim to create great moments for everyone, everyday. ”

Sion Rapson, Managing Director, World Ski Awards, said that despite the challenges faced by the global tourism sector this year, Ski Dubai has demonstrated resilience, providing its visitors with a world-class ski experience in a responsible and safe manner.

Launched in 2013, the World Ski Awards aim to enhance the standards within the ski industry; it is the only global initiative to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in ski tourism. Votes are cast by professionals working within the industry, including senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents and media as well as ski tourism consumers.