There was a palpable buzz of excitement along the Abu Dhabi Corniche on Friday as a crowd, mostly American expatriates, celebrated the appearance on the beach of US television host Al Roker. The long-time co-anchor and weatherman for NBC's Today show was here to present his daily segment and to record an item for a new Travel Channel show, 50/50, in which two contestants faced the very agreeable challenge of spending $50,000 in the capital within 50 hours.
Roker is a familiar figure to audiences in the US and dozens of other countries where Today is screened, and his presence here was no doubt greatly appreciated by tourism operators.
We all benefit when international influencers like Roker visit our city and tell the world about it. Time and again, their message is that coming to Abu Dhabi was not only a vastly enjoyable experience, it also shattered a few of their misconceptions.
