DUBAI: There certainly have been many major reading initiatives and activities taking place across the country to achieve the objectives of the Year of Reading 2016 initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, which is aimed at weaving the habit of reading into the very fabric of UAE society to create a generation of readers. The latest of these initiatives is Dubai Customs’ “A Book for Every Traveller” campaign.
Thousands of visitors coming into the UAE through Dubai airports would be each welcomed and greeted with a valuable book in hand upon arrival, according to the initiative. Launched by the Customs Training Centre jointly with the Passenger Operations Department on Wednesday, the initiative aims to promote reading as a social habit and a part of everyday life in the UAE. Dr Shaikha Al Ghafri, Acting Director of the Customs Training Centre, commented on the initiative, saying: “Dubai Customs inspectors at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1 have given away more than 3,000 books to arrivals so far.
“The first-of-its-kind initiative in the UAE and GCC states will include distribution of a total of 17,000 books provided as part of a cooperation agreement with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.” Ibrahim Kamali, Acting Director of Passenger Operations Department, said that such initiatives are geared towards promoting the image of Dubai and the UAE and further highlighting their sustained efforts to nurture the culture of reading world-wide.
“We wanted to engage as many inbound passengers as possible from all nationalities and age groups and encourage them to read. Inculcating the habit of reading in people, through such a creative and very original initiative, can only be positive and will bring great benefits to the general public,” added Kamali. Shaikha Massod Al Ahbabi, Training Specialist at the Customs Training Centre, is the mind behind the initiative. Al Ahbabi is a bookworm and has been working at the Dubai Customs library for many years.
