MICE events set to grow 7% in Abu Dhabi
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Around 20,000 hotel rooms are expected to come on stream across the UAE this year, said Mohammad Khamis Al Muhairi, director general of the National Council for Tourism and Antiquities, as reported in Gulf News. There are currently 110,000 rooms available in the country’s hotels and hotel apartments. Further, the UAE’s tourism sector contributes 7% of GDP and employs almost 170,000 people, he said.
There has been much emphasis in the past few years on driving the MICE business as it is brings 20 to 30 % of tourists to the country, he added.
According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, the direct economic impact of MICE business events on the emirate of Abu Dhabi is expected to grow at 7% annually over the next eight years to AED 5.1 billion by 2020.
The total contribution of these business events to the emirate is AED2.4 billion, according to figures provided by the tourism authority.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority will pursue major MICE businesses in the next two years targeting an increase of 16%.