Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has announced plans to participate in a number of major international tourism exhibitions in coming months as part of its far-reaching campaign to promote the emirate in the important European market.
ADTA chairman HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan said the exhibitions would play a major role in showcasing Abu Dhabi’s tourism potential and attractions to tour operators, travel agents and the media in key source markets.
“Taking part in these events allows us to develop new contacts as well as consolidate and build on our existing relationships with the European travel trade,” he said. Sheikh Sultan noted that the outlook for Abu Dhabi’s tourism was highly positive. “The European market is now very receptive to our message. There are a growing numbers of travellers with the time and resources to spend on frequent holiday breaks and they are constantly on the lookout for new and different destinations,” he said.
The recent announcement that the ADTA had granted initial approval for construction of an additional 2,261 hotel rooms had also created further interest among tour operators, he noted. Director general Mubarak Al Muhairi said that, in the remaining months of 2005, the ADTA would take part in a number of trade exhibitions around the world including the World Travel Market in London and EIBTM, a leading specialist business travel exhibition in Barcelona.
In addition to the ADTA itself, strong delegations from the emirate’s tourism community, including representatives of the leading hotels, Department of Civil Aviation, tour companies, golf club, ground handlers and other travel-related businesses, would ensure that the exhibitions offered potential buyers one-stop service.
Al Muhairi pointed out that the ADTA’s participation in events earlier this year such as ITB in Berlin and the Arabian Travel Market had proved successful in generating new business. “We expect to build on this success in the forthcoming exhibition season,” he said.