Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi offers digital taste of experiences with 360 degree virtual hub

Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi offers digital taste of experiences with 360 degree virtual hub

Virtual experiences range from watersports along the Corniche to museum tours at Louvre Abu Dhabi

A series of 360 degree virtual experiences is being launched to offer potential future visitors a taste of Abu Dhabi as a destination during the UK lockdown.

The country’s department of culture and tourism said the #StayCurious website platform at visitabudhabi.ae aimed to provide a central hub of educational and entertaining content for different types of holiday experiences in the United Arab Emirates state.

Virtual experiences range from watersports along the Corniche to museum tours at Louvre Abu Dhabi and dune bashing in the desert.

The site offers content across five sections. ‘Stay Adventurous’ is its hub for virtual tours and experiences, with insights on the emirate’s heritage.

‘Stay Indulgent’ offers culinary offerings with cooking workshops and masterclasses with top chefs from the emirate while its educational ‘Stay Enlightened’ section has free virtual courses from institutions such a Grow with Google, Coursera, History of the Emirates and Maktaba Digital Library.

Abu Dhabi’s culture is explored in its ‘Stay Creative’ section through the recently launched CulturAll virtual experiences and ‘Stay Entertained’, set to launch in the coming weeks, will be a hub linking a series of virtual events.

H.E.Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of the marketing and communications sector of the department of culture and tourism, said: “During these challenging times, DCT Abu Dhabi sought to bring people worldwide together by providing an experience that will not only enrich their lives, but also delight and entertain them at the same time.

“#StayCurious is an opportunity for people to dream, imagine, and fulfil their curiosity and reaffirms our love for exploration and learning more about one another.

“Abu Dhabi has always been known for its unrivalled hospitality. And despite the physical distance between us, we are looking forward to welcoming virtual visitors to the heart of our city and our culture through an innovative experience; and perhaps this will open the door for them to come and experience it in person in the future.”