Abu Dhabi’s growing credentials as a sustainable tourism destination are set to go under the spotlight at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Senior environmental advisors from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and its subsidiary Tourism Development & Investment Company will be among the official UAE delegation to the event.

Innovating for a sustainable future lies deep within the heritage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the country’s founders recognising the need for the conservation and preservation of its cultural heritage and abundant natural assets.

Tourism is seen as a vital component of economic diversification, and sustainable tourism development is integral to the UAE’s steadfast commitment to building a sustainable future for coming generations.

Shahrazad Roohi, environmental advisor for Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority - and one of the first Emirati women to seek a career in the environment sector - will present Abu Dhabi’s credentials at the ‘Responsible Tourism in Destinations’ conference (RTD6) in São Paulo on 18 June and address the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation official ‘Tourism for a Sustainable Future’ side conference in Rio de Janeiro on June 20th.

“Having come relatively late to the international tourism scene – our tourism efforts began in earnest in 2004 – we were fortunate in being able to study the successes, and challenges, of other, more established destinations around the world,” explains Roohi.

“We have been blessed in Abu Dhabi with an abundance of superb natural resources with 400 kilometres of coastline, over 200 natural islands, stunning deserts and welcoming oases.

“In developing tourism we have been conscious of the responsibility to protect our heritage and environment for the people of Abu Dhabi and generations to come, while sensitively opening them up to visitors.”

Organised by the United Nations, in partnership with the Brazilian government, the Rio+20 Earth Summit and its supporting exhibition is viewed as the most important global environment summit to occur in 20 years.

Over 125,000 international delegates are expected to attend, and under the guidance of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs particpants from the UAE will form an official delegation to contribute to the high-level policy discussions on global sustainable development.