Ajman, United Arab Emirates – His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director General of the Ajman Department of Tourism Development (ADTD), honoured the winners of the ‘Tourism Innovator Award 2025’. The awards were presented in recognition of their creative ideas and pioneering projects, which have helped advance Ajman’s sustainable tourism development, further consolidating the Emirate’s stature as a leading tourist destination.
This initiative is a part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to promote a culture of innovation and scientific research among youth, while encouraging them to develop their creative skills. It also aims to empower them to present meaningful projects that align with Ajman’s strategic direction and the UAE’s vision of integrating innovation across all sectors to address both current and future challenges, building a more resilient and sustainable future.
During the award ceremony, H.E. Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi reaffirmed the Department’s dedication to fostering innovation across the tourism sector and the wider community.
His Excellency stated: “At ADTD, we fully recognise the vital role innovation plays in crafting forward-thinking policies and solutions to keep pace with the growing demand across key sectors, especially tourism, which continues to experience dynamic shifts. In particular, we view youth as the cornerstone of shaping a bright future rooted in sustainability and excellence. Aligning with this vision, we remain committed to investing in their potential, while encouraging them to turn their creative ideas into practical, innovative projects that contribute to social and economic development.”
H.E. Alhashmi further stated: “This competition demonstrates ADTD’s long-standing efforts to foster innovation and creativity within the Emirate by serving as a unique platform to empower the youth, nurture their entrepreneurial mindset, and identify high-impact solutions, which address current challenges, while ensuring alignment with Ajman’s future vision. Moreover, by developing smart, advanced tourism services which elevate quality standards and promote sustainability, participants demonstrated remarkable creativity and dedication. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all participants and winners who proved that they truly deserve this recognition through their unique ideas and determination. We at ADTD, remain steadfast in our efforts to support national talents and their entrepreneurial ideas.”
The competition facilitated remarkable student participation within an academic framework fostering fresh thinking, high-quality ideas, diversity and creativity. Entries were evaluated on the basis of factors like innovation, added value and feasibility. The first prize was awarded to Dana bint Khaled Ash for her project ‘Tourism of Dreams’, which focuses on creating unique, personalised travel experiences, using behavioural analysis and artificial intelligence, which assess tourists’ personalities and preferences.
The team comprising Nour Radwan, Sameera Anwar and Sarah Ghazal, came in second for their idea of ‘Mehwar’, which is an intelligent interactive platform offering personalised content based on the tourists’ interests. The project aims to enhance the visitor experience by offering innovative services that seamlessly blend information and travel.
Third place went to Shahd Raed Ibrahim Baloosha and Ghina Fadi Al Hosni for their ‘TriPlay’ app, which combines tourism and interactive gaming to create a fun and engaging experience targeting various age groups, enhancing tourism offerings and attracting a wider range of audience.
The fourth-place winner, Ahmed Mokhtar Sharif, earned the recognition for his project ‘SmartAI-Tour’, which aims to upgrade the tourism inspection and classification system in the Emirate by leveraging AI and data analysis, thereby enhancing monitoring standards and improving service quality across the tourism sector.
Fifth place was awarded to Mohamed Hassan Nassar and Malak Hassan Nassar for their ‘Smart Tourism Event Organiser’, a cutting-edge digital system designed to efficiently manage tourism events through advanced digital tools that streamline planning, execution, and monitoring, further enhancing Ajman’s competitiveness as a leading tourist destination.
Through collaborations with higher education institutions and universities, the department is keen to build a scientific research ecosystem that encourages younger generations to dive into the world of research and knowledge and generate enlightening theories and ideas, turning them into new methodologies and initiatives that keep pace with the changes across various sectors and align with national aspirations towards an era of innovation, renewal, and knowledge.
ADTD remains committed to empowering the youth and instilling the principles of sustainability and innovation within the tourism sector by launching targeted initiatives that support entrepreneurial ideas and open up new avenues for national talents to transform their ideas into tangible outcomes. Such ventures seamlessly align with the Department’s strategic vision to consolidate Ajman’s leading position on the global tourism map.