Swiss celebrate national day with gift to UAE

Abu Dhabi: Swiss nationals living in the UAE celebrated their nation's 718 years of confederation by giving the UAE a gift symbolic of the Swiss lifestyle.

"To celebrate our National Day, our embassy, Switzerland Tourism, the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Bus Department of Transportation are launching a purpose-built bus that will travel between central Abu Dhabi and the airport," Swiss Ambassador Wolfgang Bruelhart said.

The two buses will offer free trips for a month and are expected to create a greater interest in public transport tailored towards businessmen and women.

The Swiss confederation came into being on August 1, 1291.

"This is a great opportunity, because as you know in Switzerland we have all kinds of public transportation that reflect our love for nature," executive director of the Swiss Business Council of Abu Dhabi, Susanne Baumgartner, told Gulf News.

To commemorate the National Day, the two buses transported Swiss nationals along with Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to the residence of the Swiss Ambassador for a luncheon.

The Abu Dhabi celebration will be followed by a Dubai reception tonight in the Mövenpick Hotel in Bur Dubai.

The embassy, in collaboration with Hydra Properties, will also be introducing Hydra Open Air Cinema in the future. The outdoor cinema will be the first of its kind in the UAE. Plans for this project are still under way, embassy official says.

According to the embassy there are approximately 250 Swiss nationals living in Abu Dhabi and 1,000 throughout the emirates.

"This is a step forward in the growing relations between both countries and we hope this will encourage more Swiss people to visit the UAE and more people from the UAE to visit Switzerland," Baumgartner said.

Both Bruelhart and his wife Joy Bruelhart, have been campaigning against the use of plastic bags in the UAE.

Their efforts have been instrumental in the introduction of recyclable bags at several establishments.