Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, said that Abu Dhabi has become a major destination for tourism and conferences, and it is competing with the world's most prestigious cities to host major events.

Al Mazrouei attributed this to the great attention of the wise leadership to developing world-class infrastructure facilities, as well as the accumulated success of organising and hosting events on a regional and international level over the past years.

The minister's remarks came in a statement on the launch of the 44th edition of WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, this is the first time WorldSkills is being held in the region since its inception in 1950. Al Mazrouei said this reflects the prestigious position the UAE and Abu Dhabi hold internationally in all fields.

"The event is an important platform to focus on the importance of economic and sectoral diversification to support domestic output and rely on industrial, professional and service projects to move forward with plans to increase Abu Dhabi’s GDP in the non-oil sector," he said.

The generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is of particular importance to the event, as it will encourage participants from 77 countries and regions around the world to showcase their abilities in 51 skills in the most extensive competition of its kind and compete for prizes, Al Mazrouei explained.