With a growing number of Chinese tourists coming to Dubai, it has become increasingly important to train qualified talent to serve this emerging market segment.

The number of visitors from China grew 12 percent in the first quarter of 2018, 258,000 more tourists in comparison to last year, according to the Dubai Tourism Authority. The Dubai Knowledge Park, DKP, the region’s prominent hub dedicated to human resource management and learning excellence, is helping meet this demand by supplying targeted vocational training courses through its partner institutions and attracting working professionals from China to come study in the UAE.

Recognizing the need to equalize qualifications, recent agreements between educational authorities in China and Dubai have enabled greater levels of collaboration in higher education and student exchange, meaning educational degrees obtained in Dubai will be recognised in China. This, along with the ability to obtain visas on arrival to Dubai, has attracted a lot of interest within the international Chinese community.

Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of the DKP, said: “Dubai offers a wealth of opportunities for Chinese citizens. According to 2017 statistics from China’s Ministry of Education, the country has become the largest source of international students. With more Chinese citizens venturing outside their country to expand their academic horizons and gain exposure to different cultures, the DKP is witnessing a growing momentum in the number of Chinese vocational students and working professionals expressing an interest in building their futures here in Dubai.”

The partners at the DKP are reporting an increase in Chinese professionals looking for courses in the Culinary, Aviation, Hospitality and Tourism, and Languages sectors.

Sunjeh Raja, chief executive and director of the International Centre for Culinary Arts Dubai, the region’s leading culinary school, said China has become an important source market for the culinary centre. “Given the need for authentic diversity in the hospitality and tourism sector in Dubai, Chinese professionals could hold the key to widening the talent pool and supporting the industry,” he said.

Abdulla Mundock, program director at Ecole Hoteliere Helvetique, a leading hotel management school in Dubai, said Chinese students choose Dubai over other locations because the city is safe, affordable and has a wide selection of study options. Mundock said the school is receiving “great demand” from Chinese students for hospitality and aviation studies.

“Airports are moving away from being a place for procedures to an experiential destination of their own. This has added to the demand for frontline teams with not only a hospitality mindset but also specific language abilities,” he said.