Abu Dhabi to embark on European tourism roadshow
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority will next week spearhead a European road show spanning seven cities across six countries to spell out the emirate's plans for the fourth quarter of 2011.
Accompanied by representatives from Etihad and its Hala Abu Dhabi destination management arm as well as Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, the road show will begin in Moscow before heading for Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, London, Manchester and ending in the Irish capital, Dublin.
“We will be going all-out to drive consumer awareness of the destination’s up-scaled major events calendar and the superior hotels and resorts due to open soon by spreading the message through trade and media," said Dayne Lim, product development director, ADTA.
"We will be looking to work with the trade to crystallise development of new event-centric travel packages and promotions to leverage what promises to be a hectic year-end,” Lim said.
Lim said the seven road show destinations were specifically chosen as they are among our primary source markets for the mega events lined up for Q4 and airlift from some, Manchester in particular, is being increased with Etihad upscaling to double daily services from the North West England hub this August.
More than 10 luxury destination hotels and resorts are due to open throughout the emirate in Q3 and Q4 while the destination is also gearing up to for the third Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.
The road shows will also include celebrations this December to market the 40th anniversary of the UAE and the New Year hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet for a two-week ‘carnival style’ stopover.
“The Grand Prix and Volvo Ocean Race are delivering a substantial halo effect to the emirate which is further polished by the planned opening of major resorts operated by some of the world’s most respected brands,” added Lim.
“We have a great accommodation and attractions infrastructure now in place, keener competitiveness with a 15 percent fall in hotel rates in the emirate over the past 12 months and a more compelling story with which to engage.”
Latest ADTA figures show that average room rates in the emirate’s hotels and hotel apartments fell 15 percent between April 2010 and April 2011, making stays in Abu Dhabi a more affordable high-end option than Sydney or Paris.
“This competitiveness will be leverage as we move towards our winter season events programme,” added Lim.
Meanwhile, an additional 4,000 hotel rooms are due on line in Abu Dhabi most in Q3 and Q4, swelling the emirate’s room inventory by 22,800.
Most are beachfront properties and all are managed by high-end operators, Lim said, adding: “These brands will resonate well with the European market and will bring additional cross-selling marketing power to the destination.”
ADTA said it is also planning to spearhead similar road shows throughout the GCC and India, post Ramadan, to specifically target the high performing regional markets.