DM launches "Yalla Walk" campaign

Largest awareness campaign for walking tracks in Dubai

Dubai Municipality on Sunday announced the launch of "Yalla Walk," the largest health awareness campaign to attract the public to the walking tracks built by the civic body in the Emirate of Dubai.

The launch of this project is part of the Municipality's keenness towards social responsibilities to raise awareness on the importance of walking and the benefits that accrue to the public health, and the need to instil healthy behaviours among the members of the society contributing to the creation of a healthy society and a generation conscious of the importance of this type of useful sports. The campaign will run from 5 to 19 March, 2011 in the different walking tracks of Dubai.

Eng. Hussein Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality said the campaign gains importance due to the fact that it highlights the importance of walking as a sport and its health benefits to the members of the community.

"Dubai Municipality has always been keen to take up the responsibility to meet the needs of the community in implementing the walking track projects in different areas of the emirate. We know the importance of providing an outlet for the people and inculcating a civilized behaviour as regards the sport of walking due to its importance to public health," he said.

Lootah added that walking is the best kind of sports that one can begin as an individual sporting programme.

"Walking is an easy and simple sport, which can be practised by children and adults safely, and the sick and healthy. Walking itself is a fun and entertainment, especially if you opt for making it a habit in appropriate natural places like walking tracks in the parks under the shade of trees.  You can enjoy the beauty of nature and wonder about the ability of the Creator and praise Him for the blessings He provide for your personal enjoyment, he said.

Lootah also pointed out the opportunities once will get for positive interactions with members of the community while walking and understand their needs as regards Municipality services.

"These tracks will change the pattern of behaviour and thinking and the lives of many people in Dubai and these changes will demand intensified marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the public," he said, adding that the "Yalla Walk" campaign is expected to attract more than 45,000 people of all nationalities and ages.

Lootah emphasized that the campaign targets the use of walking tracks in the Emirate of Dubai in accordance with the strategic plan of Dubai, as the walking tracks project was one of the most important and vital projects in the emirate of Dubai and there are 23 tracks in Dubai for walking.

He said the campaign will be inaugurated on Saturday, 5 March at the Safa Park at 5:00 pm, and there will be another opening on Sunday, 6 March at Al Mamzar Park, Al Khawaneej Walking Track, Zabeel Park and Al Barsha Park, while the closing ceremony will be organized in Al Mamzar Park on 19 March at 5:00 pm.

Lootah added that the marketing campaign will be covering all media, promotional and marketing aspects of the project, such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines in several languages, targeting all segments of the society. The campaign will also include medical examinations and various events for children.

He added that the campaign will be a new chapter in the series of ongoing successful services offered by the Municipality to the public.

Lootah said that through this campaign the Municipality does not target a particular age group or specific segment of the society, it is for all, and awareness messages will be sent for different segments of the society, as the focus is on the promotion of the walking tracks, and making it one the most prominent projects.

To encourage members of the public, especially the people who are not attending the Dubai Municipality walking tracks a number of prizes will be given to the participants and winners during the campaign period. In addition to that grand prizes will be awarded for the first prize winner, whose name will be announced at the end of the campaign.

Registration process for the campaign will begin on Tuesday, March 1 and will continue until March 6. To participate in the competition in the campaign people can register through the website www.walkingdubai.ae. On registering the name the participant will be sent a registration number through e-mail, and registration number must be printed on the badge to get entry to the contest. People can also register directly in the parks where the park staff will assist them, or at the Fitness First clubs.

Participants will be provided a badge, in addition to a wrist band containing a barcode, which must be scanned on the device, provided at the beginning of each track, the badge should be swiped on the device again when ending the walking. This is for calculating electronically the distance walked by each participant, who can also visit the website and enter the page devoted to him to get all the details and distances.