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Abu Dhabi is going all-out to win meetings industry business at this week’s Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings (GIBTM) exhibition running at ADNEC from Monday until Wednesday night.
Some 45 of the destination’s stakeholders are packing a pavilion being mounted by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and together they have attracted over 1,400 pre-scheduled industry appointments.
“This is our most active GIBTM pavilion to date, reflecting a major upgrade in Abu Dhabi’s meetings infrastructure and opportunities,” said Mubarak Al Nuami, International Promotions Manager, ADTA.
The pavilion also marks the GIBTM debut of major new Abu Dhabi hotels and resorts including the recently-opened Grand Millenium Al Wahda Hotel, the luxury Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas and Hyatt Capital Gate, both due to open in September, the Jumeirah@Etihad Towers landmark five-star hotel, the first Jumeirah property in the UAE capital, and the stunning The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi, the first Rocco Forte property in the Emirates, both of which are due to open this year.
“These great new facilities, along with many other new additions and upgrades to existing properties are producing a compelling case of meetings in Abu Dhabi,” said Al Nuaimi. “They hold out a host of new opportunities for the trade.”
ADTA has a 10-year plan to have Abu Dhabi ranked in the world’s top 50 meetings destinations, increasing its convention potential 10-fold and its MICE and business tourism income five-fold.
The authority expects the number of business-related visitors to Abu Dhabi to grow this year by around 200,000, from 1.3 million to 1.5 million. The MICE component of this is also expected to follow a similar trend growing to approximately 225,000. Last year, travel for business as a percentage of Abu Dhabi hotel guests was 72% or approximately 1.3 million of the 1.8 million who stayed in the emirate’s 115 hotels and hotel apartments – of this, some 215,000 guests arrived specifically for MICE activities.
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