Abu Dhabi is aiming to attract more Russian tourists with the launch of a new promotions office in Moscow this month. Abu Dhabi is the first overseas destination to open a visitor centre in Moscow.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said it also has plans to recruit Russian-speaking tour guides for the emirate.
The office is being launched at Leisure Moscow – the country’s leading travel exhibition – where Abu Dhabi has mounted a pavilion shared by 10 of its key stakeholders including Etihad, which operates a daily Moscow-Abu Dhabi service.
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“Russia has become an increasingly important market for us with Etihad bringing Russian tourists within just five hours flight time of Abu Dhabi,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, ADTA.
“Russia is showing great promise for us with hotels in Abu Dhabi recording a 21 percent increase in guests from the country in the first seven months of this year. We are now looking to capitalise on these green shoots of growth and will be mounting an intensive programme of inbound familiarisation trips for the Russian travel trade and media.
We are also embracing the Russian language across all of our marketing material and spearheading the recruitment and training of Russian-speaking tour guides to start work in the emirate.”
Al Muhairi added: “Abu Dhabi has been known as a business destination but this is changing. This is an international leisure destination in the making, which will resonate well with Russian clients looking for new and luxurious experiences.”
Dubai is also boosting its tourism connections with Russia, with budget carrier Flydubai launching new flight routes to Yekaterinburg and Samara next month.
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