|
Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector is heading to India’s most prominent B2B travel industry expo this week as it looks to leverage growing outbound traffic to Abu Dhabi following news that India has regained its position as the emirate’s largest overseas source market for hotel guests.
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) together with 14 industry partners, will carry the message that Abu Dhabi offers further travel trade growth potential to the Abu Dhabi Pavilion at the fifth showing at SATTE in New Delhi India’s largest travel trade fair.
The message will be pushed further during a series of one-to-one meetings during a three-city ‘Destination Abu Dhabi’ travel trade workshop across key Indian cities in a move aimed at targeting India’s upwardly-mobile, aspirational traveller.
“Abu Dhabi’s hotels have experienced double-digit growth from the Indian market over two consecutive years establishing its position as the emirate’s largest overseas source market,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director, Promotions & Overseas Offices, TCA Abu Dhabi.
He added: “As the market matures, we are now placing greater emphasis on its growth potential, tailoring products to meet the needs and demands of the Indian traveller. Our activities in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Kolkata will present a diverse mix of Abu Dhabi destination products and allow our partners to expand their profiles in Indian trade operator portfolios, to stimulate further increase in Indian visitors to the emirate in 2015.”
Abu Dhabi welcomed 231,702 Indian hotel guests in 2014 at a growth rate of 32% over the previous year. These guests delivered 850,443 guest nights, which is up 23% year-on-year, with an average length of stay of 3.67 nights.
Joining the authority at SATTE are the UAE’s award-winning national carrier Etihad Airways which flies from 11 Indian destinations, Abu Dhabi-headquartered Rotana Hotels & Resorts, the five-star, beachfront Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, Centro Capital Centre and City Seasons Hotel which will fly the flag for the four-star leisure and business hotels sector and Al Ain’s Hili Fun City, will boost awareness of the family-friendly attractions on offer in emirate’s second city.
The delegation will also feature leading DMCs Lama Holidays & Tours, Bonton Tours, Alburj Travel & Tours, North Tours and Desert Rose Tourism, and in a specially extended section of the Abu Dhabi Pavilion, Yas Island will showcase the iconic five-star Yas Viceroy and four-star Crowne Plaza Yas Island hotels, and the state-of-the-art Yas Marina Circuit home to the annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Extending awareness of its existing broad range of accommodation and entertainment-based activities, Yas Island will also position new events, the retail offering of Yas Mall and new rides at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi at the heart of its expanding range of attractions for the Indian market.
“At SATTE, our target is to continue to increase our network of travel agents and tour operators within India and introduce Yas Island to the travel trade in the smaller cities,” said Clive Dwyer, the Island’s Director of Destination Management.
“We recently appointed luxury travel marketing company Think Strawberries as an in-market agent to fine-tune our marketing approach in the Indian market, and with the introduction of Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi’s largest mall with over 370 retail stores, Yas Island adds tax-free shopping to its ‘Discover.It.Now’ proposition.”
Yas Island’s dedicated events department has organised several weddings at various venues over the past year, and has been a location for popular Bollywood movies Baby and Bang Bang. For Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, the island’s premier hotel, maximising these opportunities are clear priorities, and the hotel is prepared for a flood of business from the region as a result.
“We have seen interest grow from the Indian film industry having been chosen as a luxurious venue for a recent Bollywood film shoot,” said Ibrahim Korkut, the hotel’s Director of Sales & Marketing.
He added: “We are targeting significant business from the Indian market, on both large and small scales, and have adapted our product to suit the market’s preferences, both in terms of the culinary offering with our award-winning Angar Indian restaurant, and through tailoring our service standards.”
Entering the Indian market for the first time, Abu Dhabi-based tour operator Desert Rose Tourism is using participation at SATTE to introduce a range of dedicated leisure packages.
“To extend our existing two-day leisure packages, we have developed a range of winter and summer holidays with selected three- and four-star hotels, and hope to exploit the potential of extended stopover visits following the increase in air capacity,” said the company’s Haris Ali, who also has his sights set on the burgeoning Indian wedding and meetings sectors for further development.
And for Hana Mohamed Saleh from Hili Fun City, the family attraction set in beautifully landscaped and shaded gardens in the heart of the emirate’s heritage heartland of Al Ain, spreading the ‘fun never stops’ message will target an increase in Indian family visitors.
Following the exhibition, the delegation will embark on a three-city roadshow aimed at leveraging the emirate’s increasing affordability and keeping the destination foremost in the country’s outbound influencers’ outlook.
From February 2-6, TCA Abu Dhabi will take to the road and present the destination to travel agents in a roadshow across Chandigarh, Lucknow and Kolkata, key gateways which are high potential regional markets for Destination Abu Dhabi.
Reiterating Abu Dhabi’s firm commitment towards the India market, Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, TCA Abu Dhabi, India, said: “Abu Dhabi is fast becoming the new hot-spot for the high-end Indian traveller and as we continue with our marketing and promotional activities the response from the Indian market has been encouraging. The upcoming workshops emphasise our continued initiatives with all stakeholders on a pan-India level.”
Abu Dhabi is closer than ever for the Indian market, with a huge choice of flights and customised packages. Etihad Airways, along with its partners, is expanding routes and provides convenient and quick travel options across tier-1 and tier-2 cities all over India.
Currently Etihad Airways operates over 120 flights per week from 11 Indian destinations to Abu Dhabi with a daily service planned from the east Indian gateway of Kolkata in February 2015. Together with equity partner Jet Airways, access across India will offer seamless connectivity with over 250 flights a week across 14 Indian cities by the second quarter of 2015.
|
New
Review
Abu Dhabi International Airport - 41°F
