Abu Dhabi primes biggest-ever showing at Arabian Travel Market
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Abu Dhabi’s biggest-ever tourism offering will be in the spotlight at this year’s Arabian Travel Market. More than 45 Abu Dhabi tourism stakeholders will fill a pavilion organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) with more than 80 products – some being rolled out for the first time.”The product line-up reflects the destination’s expanded offering and includes transports suppliers, hotel operators, major attractions, hospitality management companies, travel agents, tour operators, an international sports resort, MSC Cruises as well as desert, island, beach and golf resorts,” explained Mubarak Al Nuaimi, international promotions manager, ADTA.New to Abu Dhabi’s ATM line-up are: Al Forsan International Sports Resort, which will showcase a variety of leisure and extreme sports activities; Ayla Hotels & Resorts Management, which is making its international exhibition debut at ATM and recently opened the 153-room, four-star Ayla Hotel in Al Ain; and Five Continents Hospitality, which manages the Mourouj Hotel Apartments in Abu Dhabi.The pavilion will also feature some of the soon-to-open hotels in Abu Dhabi including the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa and the Jumeirah@ Etihad Towers, the first Jumeirah hotel in the UAE capital. Al Marfa Pearl Hotels Management will also be launching its new rooms and watersport facilities at its Mirfa Hotel in Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia Western Region.This year marks Abu Dhabi’s eighth showing at ATM, which is a key annual event for the GCC travel industry.”The GCC market is extremely important to us because it is a market on our doorstep characterised by a strong propensity for travel,” explained Al Nuaimi. “Last year, the GCC, with the exception of the UAE, accounted for over 102,000 hotel guests to Abu Dhabi, which was a 19% rise on 2009. In the first two months of this year, the GCC market showed further signs of growth delivering over 20,000 hotel guests – a 14% rise on the same period in 2010. Of these markets, Saudi Arabia is proving the most prolific. In 2010, some 38,633 hotel guests from the Kingdom were welcomed into Abu Dhabi’s hotels – a rise of 26% on the previous year. The trend continued in the first two months of this year with some 9,645 Saudis staying in our hotels – a 61% rise on the same period in 2010. “There is increasing demand from Saudi Arabia, where ADTA is working to establish an office and the demand is creating business opportunities for the trade within the Kingdom. There is greater awareness throughout the GCC of Abu Dhabi’s much enhanced leisure offering making it a great, short-break destination for regional families and travellers, the Gulf trade should move to capitalise on this.”
Comments are closed.