Abu Dhabi debuts at SATTTE 2010
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ABU DHABI, Jan 2010: The Arabian Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi will make its pavilion debut at SATTE 2010, India’s biggest travel industry event being held in New Delhi from 28-30 January. This follows India’s identification as a key high-end luxury growth market by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which manages, helps develop and promotes the emirate’s tourism industry and recently voted the ‘World’s Leading Tourist Board.’1
ADTA will host the 60sqm Abu Dhabi pavilion in conjunction with seven industry partners - Etihad Airways, Le Meridien Hotel, Radisson Blu, Aloft Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC) and DBA & Sons Travel.
“We’ve identified SATTE as an important forum for an emerging destination such as ours to build awareness and forge new partnerships,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, ADTA’s International Promotions Manager.
“India is already proving to be a significant market for Abu Dhabi and was the fourth most productive market in 20092 in terms of hotel guests – largely driven by the business and visiting friends/relatives (VFR) segments.”
According to ADTA statistics, 44,991 of India’s nationals stayed in hotels throughout the emirate in the first nine months of 2009, accounting for almost 4% of hotel guests during that period. However research conducted by the authority has shown that despite the encouraging visitation figures, market awareness of Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination is still relatively limited.
“In particular, awareness is low amongst the rapidly-expanding middle-upper income classes, and we are looking to address this gap through our debut participation at SATTE,” added Al Nuaimi, “Our target visitor segment will be the high-end luxury and cultural seeker, who will be far more attuned with our offering present, and future.”
ADTA is to mount destination pavilions at 20 overseas fairs this year - three more than in 2009 - with first-time participation in exhibitions in the emerging markets of India, Spain and Malaysia.
This year is set to be a defining one for the emirate of Abu Dhabi, with two of the world’s top travel guides - Lonely Planet and Frommer’s - listing it as among the top ten destinations to visit in 2010. As the USA’s best selling travel guide, Frommer’s commends Abu Dhabi for its beautiful beaches, greenery, distinct Emirati character and the preservation of its conservative heritage.
Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates which make up the UAE Federation and is home to Abu Dhabi city, the country’s capital.
Ends
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