ABU DHABI is to send a senior delegation to the 9th Global Travel and Tourism Summit to be held in May this year in Florianopolis – the capital of Southern Brazil’s Santa Catarina States.
The news came from His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) as he welcomed a 20-strong Santa Catarina State delegation to the UAE capital city.
Sheikh Sultan said the summit – themed ‘Real Partnerships Emerging Economies: Sign of Change’ – epitomised today’s tourism imperative of sharing knowledge and ideas to sustain the industry in challenging times.
“Under the direction of our leadership we are looking to enhance relationships with like-minded destinations,” he said. “In Santa Caterina we have a partner with whom we can share our experience of celebrating culture.”
Santa Caterina made cultural headlines when it negotiated the opening of the only Bolshoi Ballet institution outside of Russia. Abu Dhabi likewise captured global attention when it unveiled its plans for the world’s largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and Louvre Abu Dhabi, to be based on its signature Saadiyat Island destination.
Sheikh Sultan briefed the delegation on the signature projects being progressed by ADTA’s tourism asset development arm, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC). These included the recently-opened Desert Islands Resort & Spa, the Qasr Al Sarab desert resort being built in the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter) and Saadiyat Island.
The delegation included Luiz Henrique Da Silveira, governor of Santa Catarina, Raul Campos Castro, Brazilian Ambassador to the UAE, Jean-Claude Baumgartem, President of the World Travel & Tourism Council, president of the Brazilian Tourism Board, Jeanine Pires and other senior officials.