00:01Music
00:15People are really excited about Abu Dhabi, particularly when it comes to culture.
00:19I mean, it is now one of the biggest cultural centres globally.
00:22If you think about the openings that we've had in recent time,
00:25be it the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum.
00:31Of course, we've got the big opening at the end of the year.
00:34We've got team labs there from Japan.
00:35And then the Guggenheim opening at the end of the year as well.
00:39So, you know, it's a cultural centre and it's something that's very strategic.
00:43It's been very mindfully planned.
00:45And really it's about the culture and the heritage of Abu Dhabi,
00:48past, present and guiding us into the future.
00:51And it's a joy to be a part of it.
00:52Does that mean then that it's sort of competing or complementary
00:56to perhaps some of the other sort of Arab Gulf states as well?
01:01Look, I mean, at the end of the day, I think there's,
01:03each of them has their own compelling offer.
01:05What we need to make sure we do is stand out.
01:08And so that people, when they think about Abu Dhabi, they,
01:10A, know very clearly what it is.
01:13It is a very unique destination or place to live as I do.
01:18I'm very happy to call it home within the GCC community or within the region.
01:24So, you know, there's competition.
01:26I don't sort of think of it as a competition.
01:28You know, at the end of the day, we want people to explore the world.
01:31We want people to share cultures.
01:32We want people to learn from each other.
01:34And hopefully that sense of sharing stories,
01:38which is something that's been at the heart of Abu Dhabi ever since it was formed.
01:42And the founding father, Sheikh Zayed, when he spoke about the values that were there,
01:47it was about sharing stories.
01:48And there's great examples of that right there on the ground.
01:52So the Louvre Abu Dhabi is an example, which is just a tremendous museum.
01:56When you look at the way that the art is curated,
02:00the stories that it tells there is not about this is, you know, the Asian art,
02:04or this is Middle Eastern art, or this is, you know, art from this period of time.
02:08It's about how it all translates, where the commonality is,
02:13where the shared cultural narrative is.
02:15So if you walk through that, you might see a ceramic plate,
02:18a ceramic plate from sort of the Middle East, from China.
02:22You see the similarities, then the Europeans,
02:24and you see how that story has passed from person to person, culture to culture,
02:28each of them making their own unique art and cultural expression.
02:32Okay.
02:33And how are you using, you know, a lot of people think in the wider public,
02:36obviously you can't get away from the fact that the Gulf states, you know,
02:40are very well resourced.
02:41Yeah.
02:41So how are you sort of channeling some of those finances into, you know,
02:45using innovation in some of these, you know, established institutions such as the Louvre?
02:51Yeah.
02:51Well, look, as far as, you know, the resourcing goes, I mean,
02:55I think that at the core of everything that we do in Abu Dhabi is really the why,
02:59and it is absolutely for the people and for the residents and really for the children.
03:04And to see a child go into the New Natural History Museum
03:07and see Stan the T-Rex and be inspired and then wanting to become a paleontologist
03:12or an archaeologist is something that is at the core of everything that's done.
03:16So then as far as sort of investing with AI and with other areas, it's about making sure that it
03:24adds value
03:24and really brings that story to life, not AI for AI's sake, not technology for technology's sake,
03:31but a very, very mindful and curated and thoughtful approach to the visitor experience.
03:37And ultimately in Abu Dhabi, we want our visitor experience from the moment you step out of that plane at
03:43the airport
03:44through every single touch point that you had whilst you were staying.
03:47And then when you return, what we want people to talk about is the hospitality, the welcome
03:52and the care that's been taken across all touch points, including within our cultural institutions.
03:58Well, thanks for taking time to talk to us here on Euronews.
04:00Thank you so much. Thanks for the opportunity. Brilliant. Thank you.
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