More and more people in the United Arab Emirates are learning to speak Mandarin in the hopes that it will boost their careers. Trade ties between China and the Gulf countries are at an all-time high and some companies in the Mideast are looking to cash in.
It's Sunday night at the Chinese Language Institute in Dubai and this group of adults are busy learning Mandarin.
This school alone says it's seen a 40% increase in the number of people taking up the language over the past year.
According to the CLI, most of those learning Chinese are doing so in a bid to further their careers.
InterContinental Hotels Group is one of those businesses using the power of Chinese. It launched a programme called China Ready here in the UAE last year to cater to clients from the Far East.
The internal training scheme includes things like making sure staff speak the language, or that Chinese food is available in restaurants. It's already resulted in a huge increase in the number of visitors staying at their hotels.
Official figures show 450,000 Chinese tourists visited Dubai in 2015 – a 30% increase on the year before.
Tourism and hospitality is one sector where the Chinese language is being seen as an opportunity to profit. Individuals and businesses alike here are taking note of the importance of learning the lingo.
