Abu Dhabi eyes Australian tourism boost

Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority on Monday began a three-stop roadshow in Australia's key cities, as the emirate looks to attract more visitors from Down Under.

Last year, 34,930 Australians stayed in Abu Dhabi's hotels - up 35 percent on the previous year and officials are keen to build on this.

Monthly year-on-year figures also continue to see positive upward trending growth, with the latest statistics showing a 24 percent increase in Australian hotel guests in May, over the same month in 2011.

Increasing air links between the emirate and Australia are a key driver for the increased growth, the authority said in a statement.

Etihad Airways currently operates 21 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi while V Australia flies three-times a week to Sydney from the UAE capital.

Seven of Abu Dhabi's key destination stakeholders are taking part in the road shows - which go to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Mubarak Al Nuaimi, international promotions manager, TCA Abu Dhabi, said: "Abu Dhabi has been on Australian tourists' minds for some time, and we continue to see positive increases in visitors to the emirate.

"This will be a great opportunity to get on the ground, face-to-face with the country's top tour operators to unearth the business possibilities and build on this two-way, win-win opportunity."

The TCA Abu Dhabi roadshow series kicked off on Monday in Brisbane, followed by Melbourne on July 3 and Sydney on July 4.