Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are preparing for LanD 2027, a specialised training programme focused on documenting and conserving cultural landscapes. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has opened recruitment for the programme, which will take place in Al Ain from April 26 to May 5, 2027.
The programme brings heritage documentation, field learning and conservation methods together in a destination where historic settlements, agricultural landscapes and natural surroundings form an important part of the visitor experience.
LanD 2027 Targets Cultural Landscape Documentation
LanD 2027 is designed to develop professional skills in cultural landscape documentation and conservation across the Middle East and North Africa. The programme uses an applied research methodology that combines classroom learning with fieldwork.
Its focus extends beyond individual monuments and buildings. Cultural landscapes can reflect centuries of interaction between communities and their natural surroundings, including agricultural practices, settlements, water systems and traditional land use.
For tourism, documenting these landscapes creates a framework for protecting places that contribute to destination identity while allowing heritage areas to remain accessible to visitors.
Al Ain Provides a Heritage Setting for Field Learning
Al Ain is the location for the 10-day training programme and is one of the UAE’s major heritage destinations. The city is known for its oasis landscapes, historic forts, traditional settlements and archaeological sites.
The Al Ain Oasis is among the destination’s most prominent heritage attractions. Its traditional falaj irrigation system demonstrates how water has historically been managed to support agriculture in the oasis environment.
The city also includes Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain Palace Museum and other heritage locations that form part of the wider cultural tourism offering.
Visitors travelling to Al Ain can combine heritage sightseeing with desert landscapes, mountain excursions and experiences around Jebel Hafeet. The city’s location in the eastern part of Abu Dhabi Emirate also makes it distinct from the coastal urban tourism experience associated with Abu Dhabi city.
Conservation and Tourism Connect Through Cultural Landscapes
LanD 2027 places conservation within a wider framework that can support heritage tourism. Cultural landscapes often include tangible and intangible elements, from historic structures and agricultural systems to traditional knowledge and community practices.
A documentation-based approach can help identify these elements before conservation or tourism development takes place. It can also provide information for planning visitor access, interpretation and long-term site management.
For destinations such as Al Ain, where heritage attractions exist alongside living communities and natural environments, maintaining the relationship between these elements is relevant to tourism planning.
Abu Dhabi Continues Developing Heritage Tourism
The programme forms part of Abu Dhabi’s wider cultural heritage activities, which include the preservation and presentation of historic sites for visitors.
Al Ain’s heritage attractions are particularly important to the emirate’s cultural tourism portfolio. The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, with its cultural sites reflecting more than 5,000 years of human occupation.
The UNESCO property includes archaeological sites, oases, historic buildings and traditional structures. Its components include Al Ain Oasis, Hili Archaeological Park, Jebel Hafeet and Bidaa Bint Saud.
This heritage network provides travellers with opportunities to explore the region’s history beyond museums and contemporary attractions.
Travel Planning for Al Ain
Travellers visiting Al Ain can reach the city from Abu Dhabi by road, with the journey taking roughly 90 minutes to two hours depending on the route and traffic conditions. Dubai is also accessible by road, generally requiring around 90 minutes to two hours.
Al Ain International Airport serves the city, although visitors may find Abu Dhabi International Airport more useful for international connections depending on their itinerary.
A stay in Al Ain can be structured around its oases and forts, followed by visits to Jebel Hafeet and Green Mubazzarah. The destination also offers hotels, restaurants and local cultural experiences suitable for overnight stays.
Visitors should check attraction opening hours and access arrangements before travelling, particularly when planning visits around conservation or heritage sites.
LanD 2027 Supports Regional Heritage Skills
The programme is also aimed at strengthening professional heritage capacity in the MENA region. Participants will work with cultural landscape documentation and conservation approaches that can be applied to heritage destinations across the region.
Field-based learning in Al Ain provides a setting where participants can examine the relationship between heritage resources, natural landscapes and human activity directly.
For tourism authorities and heritage professionals, such documentation can contribute to future interpretation, destination planning and conservation strategies.
Key Stats
- LanD 2027 training dates: April 26–May 5, 2027
- Training location: Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Programme duration: 10 days
- Al Ain UNESCO World Heritage designation: 2011
- Al Ain cultural heritage: more than 5,000 years of human occupation
- Main landscape features: oases, archaeological sites, forts and Jebel Hafeet
Conclusion
Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are placing cultural landscape conservation alongside tourism development through LanD 2027. The programme will bring heritage professionals to Al Ain for field-based training focused on documenting landscapes shaped by centuries of interaction between people and nature. For travellers, the initiative reinforces the importance of Al Ain’s oases, historic sites and surrounding landscapes as part of Abu Dhabi’s expanding heritage tourism offer.
