Created in readiness for a resumption of international tourism, hotels have undergone "rigorous" sanitation since early March, with properties reopening only after being granted clearance and certification from the Abu Dhabi department of culture and tourism.

Its Go Safe programme aims to enforce global standards of safety and cleanliness at hotels, attractions and other tourism venues across the emirate.

W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island is the first hotel in the emirate to be granted certification, which will later extend to six additional hotels, four attractions, two theme parks, two malls and a public beach.

Go Safe will then be rolled out across all attractions within the capital, including malls, restaurants, theme parks, and other public spaces.

Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, the department’s executive director of tourism and marketing, said Abu Dhabi would set new standard for best practices in tourism.

“As we look forward to reviving tourism in the capital, we aim to not only meet, but to exceed, all existing international benchmarks through a strategy that promotes consumer safety every step of the way.

"The launch of Go Safe goes hand-in-hand with the efforts of the Abu Dhabi government to combat the spread of diseases, which include widespread testing, city-wide sanitation, social distancing, and enhancing healthcare services.”

The first step of the programme will involve guided self-assessments, which hotels and attractions will undergo as per guidelines and checklists provided by the tourism authority.

Businesses will be encouraged to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their own facilities in order to carry out similar operations independently in the future.

The self-assessments will then be verified through site-inspections to ensure compliance. Destinations that meet the requirements will be awarded the Go Safe Certificate.