Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi led delegations to its two largest international source markets

Abu Dhabi - Two new promotional events in China and India, led by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, are expected to provide a significant boost to inbound visitor numbers to the emirate from both countries.

Joined by key stakeholders and partners, the Department recently concluded two new initiatives - ‘Abu Dhabi Week in China’ and ‘Abu Dhabi Week in India’ – aiming to capitalise on spectacular growth in hotel guests visiting the emirate from both key markets.

Up until September, the emirate has witnessed a 7% year-on-year increase in the total number of hotel guests, reaching 3.5 million, with the numbers of Chinese visitors surging by 65%, making it the largest overseas source market for inbound guests. In September alone the numbers of Chinese guests rose 133% compared to the same month the previous year.

India has also provided a dramatic increase of new or repeat hotel guests, rising 8% year-on-year to reach 256,000, and in so doing becoming the second largest provider of inbound guests into the emirate’s 163 hotels and hotel apartments.

HE Saif Saeed Al Ghobash, Director General, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “After witnessing sustained and impressive growth from both markets throughout the year, we determined to capitalise on the opportunity and take the best of Abu Dhabi to the heart of Shanghai, Mumbai and Delhi for consumers to see first-hand our diverse tourism proposition and range of attractions.

“We have many distinct destination ‘regions’ across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, each offering a unique perspective on our culture and heritage. The feedback we received from both our promotional trips has been overwhelmingly positive and we will look to turn these ‘roadshows’ into annual events, even extending them to add more cities, to maintain long-term growth from both markets.”

Joining the Department during October and November’s trips were representatives of national airline Etihad Airways, Yas Island, Cruise Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque with visitors to the day/night shows treated to Al Ayala performances, calligraphy, Emirati music and traditional Emirati cuisine.

Abu Dhabi Week in China gained impressive media coverage across print, television and digital platforms with live streaming of the event attracting an audience of more than 30 million people across Shanghai and the rest of China. More than 2,500 visitors visited the site and leading domestic tour operators including Tuniu, One Tour and Uniway reported strong business lead generation and holiday sales.

Abu Dhabi Week in India was similarly well received with more than 5,000 visitors to the Mumbai leg of the events and 6,000 in Delhi. Following its successful conclusion, the Department then led a five-city promotional tour to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata to reinforce the message that Abu Dhabi is an ideal destination for Indian visitors with excellent air connectivity for ease of travel. Etihad Airways and Jet Airways currently operate 282 flights a week from 13 Indian destinations between Abu Dhabi.

“Both China and India are tier one markets that make up substantial shares of our total number of annual guests and as such we will continue to target our marketing campaigns there, along with other major markets, and maintain traction in increasing already impressive visitor numbers,” added Ghobash.

“Working in tandem with our overseas offices in both countries gives us valuable insight into what consumers in these counties expect and demand of a destination and we can therefore tailor our products to meet their expectations. As an example, our policy of visa on entry for Chinese visitors since the turn of the year has proved highly beneficial and we will keep exploring ways of making Abu Dhabi even more enticing to visit.”

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© Press Release 2017