le meridien al aqah underscores social and environmental commitment as 2007 draws to a close
Le Méridien Al Aqah, having this month celebrated its five year anniversary, is now drawing a line under its various social and environmental initiatives in 2007 and planning campaigns to boost education and assist those less fortunate in 2008.
Earlier this month, the hotel hosted both children and volunteers from the Special Needs Foundation (SNF) Children’s Development Centre in Dubai. The children enjoyed a fun-filled day packed with games and activities such as face painting, pizza making, coloring, and musical chairs. The group were treated to a delicious buffet lunch and finished off the day with a round of mini golf on the Le Méridien Al Aqah course.
“Given our status as a family destination with a strong environment focus, LMAA is building a comprehensive outreach programme for 2008 that includes community and special needs events, as well as arts-related, educational and environmental initiatives,” said Patrick Antaki, general manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah.
In addition, 2007 saw an increase in the hotel’s commitment to environmental awareness issues, such as the beautification of a school premises including a tree planting and clean-up session initiated by the hotel. A lecture on the importance of environmental responsibility by a member of Excom is also scheduled.
To underscore its commitment to the community in 2007, LMAA also actively supported social events such as the Fujairah orphanage day out and the municipality employees’ day out, both of which will be added to the resort’s event calendar again in 2008 as part of its community outreach.
To reflect the UAE’s increasing focus on arts and cultural development, LMAA hosted and supported a range of exhibitions and events during 2007. Highlights included the sculpture exhibition by Alan Mayburg, the UAE photography competition during Ramadan and a local photography exhibition during UAE National Day.
In 2007, LMAA also played host to the grand Monodrama Festival, hosting some of the world’s renowned stage artists as guests of the resort. Promoting modern and contemporary art, LMAA sponsored the ‘Art Bus’ during Art Paris- the international fair exhibition held in Abu Dhabi last month. Currently, guests and visitors are treated to the Wael Hamadeh exhibition until 2nd January, 2008.
Le Méridien Al Aqah’s focus on education and children will also extend in 2008 to the launch of a scholarship program in conjunction with a local institution, where for the first time a course related to travel and tourism will be available for interested students.
“The UAE’s tourism sector needs further talent development to meet its growth targets and with this scholarship, Le Méridien Al Aqah can contribute to some of our key causes including children, education, the arts and the growth of the local economy,” commented Antaki.
A range of CSR initiative are also planned for 2008 where in addition to providing the highest quality service offering, Le Méridien Al Aqah will reach a diverse market segment and reinforce the importance message of social responsibility and awareness.
