Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia is proud to announce that Ski Dubai has won the ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’ at the internationally recognised World Ski Awards for the fifth consecutive year. This is the latest accolade bestowed on Ski Dubai, which was recently awarded Best Service Performance Brand (Hospitality and Entertainment) at the Business Excellence Awards hosted by Dubai Economy, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The World Ski Awards are the most prestigious awards programme in the ski tourism industry and cover a wide variety of categories which see the best resorts, hotels and ski industry companies from around the globe competing for recognition. Ski Dubai was nominated amongst eight internationally- recognised indoor ski resorts across Egypt, Germany, China, Spain, Scotland, New Zealand and Netherlands and was announced as the overall winner having received the highest number of votes from ski industry professionals and consumers.
In 2005, Majid Al Futtaim made the impossible possible by bringing real snow to the desert and launching the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort. Ski Dubai has since cemented its position as one of the region’s most iconic attractions and welcomed more than 11 million tourists, snow sports enthusiasts and guests from all around the world. Over the last 15 years, Ski Dubai has continued to enhance the guest experience with new innovations including a family-friendly snow park complete with a wide variety of fun activities and the hugely popular penguin encounter, which is home to a colony of King and Gentoo penguins.
Ski Dubai has been fuelling huge growth in sporting tourism within the region and fostered a winter sports culture in the UAE and each year 80,000 people are introduced to skiing and snowboarding. The state-of-the-art facility has also established itself as a hub for international competitions by hosting numerous prestigious events such as UAE National Ski and Snowboard Championships, The World Cup and Para Snowboard World Cup, which attract both competitors and spectators from around the globe and contribute to the UAE’s tourism industry.
Speaking about the achievement, Mohammed El Etri, Director of Global Snow Operations & Projects at Majid Al Futtaim 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. Earlier this week, we celebrated our milestone 15th anniversary and, key to our success, has been our continuous commitment to innovation and determination to push the boundaries of possibility.”
He added, “This award is a testament to the passion and dedication of the Ski Dubai team, who ensure that our valued guests can enjoy a world-class experience and exemplary service. Our guests are at the heart of everything we do at Majid Al Futtaim and the reason behind our constant drive to go above and beyond. Ski Dubai is deeply honoured and privileged to have our commitment to excellence recognised by industry peers and guests, who voted for us to receive this prestigious title. Winning the ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’ motivates us to achieve even more and we look forward to what the next 15 years will bring for Ski Dubai.”
Sion Rapson, Managing Director, World Ski Awards, said: “Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the global tourism sector this year, Ski Dubai has demonstrated unrivalled resilience, enabling it to continue providing its visitors with a world-class ski experience in a responsible and safe manner. I am delighted that it has been acknowledged by both the ski industry and the public by being voted ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’.”
Launched in 2013, the World Ski Awards aim to enhance the standards within the ski industry and 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.