Today on United Nations World Oceans Day 2021, Atlantis Dubai – the ocean-themed destination situated on the Arabian Gulf sea and home to 65,000 marine animals – is launching its brand new, pioneering sustainability initiative, Atlantis Atlas Project. Atlantis Atlas Project will be the cornerstone of Atlantis Dubai’s overall commitment to sustainability, and there’s something for every guest and visitor to get involved in, to contribute to sustainable and responsible tourism.
From taking part in marine life educational programmes designed to inform and inspire all ages, to experiencing sustainable, locally sourced, and organic dining options in nine restaurants – Atlantis Dubai guests can enrich their stay by connecting to the local environment and doing their part for the planet.
Atlantis Atlas Project aims to do business in ways that are good for people and the planet and is focused around four core pillars: Responsible Operations, Education & Awareness, Marine Conservation & Animal Welfare, and Corporate Social Responsibility. These fully incorporate the destination’s commitment to economic, social, and environmental responsibility – and provide plenty of opportunities for guests to experience and learn more about their local environment in-resort.
Tim Kelly, Managing Director & Executive Vice President of Atlantis Dubai, said: “We are proud to be launching the Atlantis Atlas Project, which has been years in the making and publicly marks our commitment to sustainable development. The Atlantis Atlas Project consolidates all of the industry-leading work on environmental and social responsibility that Atlantis Dubai has already been driving forward, as well as our long-term vision to pioneer educational tourism which cares for people and our planet.
“Our ambition, through the Atlantis Atlas Project, is to engage guests in our conservation efforts to help them discover more about the natural world, through our team of trained marine specialists and world-class aquatic environments. We want our guests to experience sustainably sourced and locally grown food, and importantly, see the genuine environmental impact – through our own programmes and the contributions of our strategic project partners. Atlantis Atlas Project is centred around protecting and preserving our natural world through awareness and education – and our journey is just getting started.”
Designed to drive sustainability not just within Atlantis Dubai, but across the industry, in the region and beyond, Atlantis Atlas Project has a long-term roadmap for sustainable, responsible tourism with education at its core. In addition, from 8th June, by booking an educational experience at Atlantis, Dubai, guests and visitors will be making an active contribution to the conservation and preservation of the environment. For every marine animal experience booked, 1 USD will be donated to conservation, sustainability, and environmental education initiatives, which will be selected twice annually as part of the Atlantis Atlas Project to make a measurable impact on the natural world.
Responsible Operations: Sustainable, locally sourced, and organic dining
Guests at Atlantis Dubai can now dine on a selection of sustainable, locally sourced, and organic dishes which have been grown and harvested in Dubai, including locally produced burrata, locally grown crispy handpicked shiitake mushrooms or organic certified, sustainably and locally farmed salmon carpaccio. Sustainable menus are available at eight of Atlantis Dubai’s signature restaurants: Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, Seafire Steakhouse, Hakkasan, Nobu, Ronda Locatelli, The Shore, Wavehouse and WHITE Restaurant.
Education & Awareness: Mini, Junior and Master Marine Biologist Programmes and Dolphin and Fish Tales Tour
Young explorers and families with a keen interest in life underwater and the environment can get closer to nature through Atlantis Dubai’s new Marine Biologist programmes (Mini Marine, Junior Marine, and Master Marine) and back of house tours (Dolphin Tales Tour and Fish Tales Tour)led by an in-house expert team of aquarists and educators. These experiences aim to nurture and develop a passion to protect marine life and understand why the wellbeing of every single animal is always the key priority. By joining one of Atlantis Dubai’s educational programmes, not only will guests of all ages be making an active contribution to the conservation and preservation of the environment, they will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in learning all about marine life and how to protect it.
Marine Conservation & Animal Welfare: Shark and ray releases and the Dubai Dolphin Survey
As part of Atlantis Dubai’s commitment to conservation, the destination has a shark and ray breeding programme to release marine animals back into Arabian Gulf waters bi-annually. The Arabian Carpetshark is a near-threatened species and the marine specialist team at Atlantis Dubai breed and releases several back into the ocean at Jebel Ali wildlife sanctuary, a protected coastal area with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds – to help boost wild populations. In addition, this year Atlantis Dubai has launched the Dubai Dolphin Survey 2021-22, a project which aims to gather scientific baseline information about the local dolphin population off the coast of Dubai, in partnership with Zayed University, and founder and director of the UAE Dolphin Project Initiative.
Corporate Social Responsibility: EarthCheck Silver Certification and Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Gold Standard Accreditation
Atlantis Dubai is one of only three hotels and resorts in the Middle East to have achieved the highly coveted EarthCheck Silver Certification, recognising its environmental standards and policies. Evaluated year on year to maintain this level of accreditation, Atlantis Dubai is consistently striving to become a more efficient, effective and responsible organisation. The destination is also the first in the Middle East to have been granted accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), an internationally recognised, gold standard for animal welfare, veterinary care, conservation, and education. Atlantis Atlas Project builds on these standards – and will continually aim to improve them, as it embarks on its journey to becoming the Middle East’s champion for responsible and sustainable tourism.
