Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi is embarking on a four-city roadshow to India along with partners and stakeholders to help promote the emirate and lure more Indian visitors to explore Abu Dhabi. The delegation, which includes Rotana Hotels, Yas Experience, Royal Arabian Destination Management, Royal Rose Hotels, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, Lama Tours, Air Travel Enterprises, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and Holiday Inn Hotels will be in India from until March 23. The roadshow began in Chandigarh in northern India, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai and concluding in Pune. Last year, more than 360,000 Indians stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments, an increase of more than 11 per cent compared to the previous year. Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director, Promotions and Overseas Offices, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said, “India is a vital Tier-I source market for us which is providing more and more hotel guests for us each year and helped us reach a record of more than 4.9 million numbers of guests last year. In 2017, we recorded spectacular double-digit growth from India and we are already recording further progress from the Indian market since the turn of the year.”  

Highlighting Dubai’s position as a leading winter cruise destination, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) is on track to welcome 1 million cruise tourists by 2020-21. DTCM also emphasised on the city’s growing popularity as a global cruise destination viable for pre-cruise and post-cruise stopovers, and an apt homeport in the region at the Seatrade Cruise Global in Florida, USA, a leading event for the cruise industry. Exhibited under the Cruise Arabia banner, Dubai Tourism brought together the tourism authorities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain on a unified stand with the goal of promoting the region as a whole, and improving business sustainability and development. The three-day event also saw networking and business opportunities with leading brands in the global cruise industry, to discuss deployments and homeporting opportunities in Dubai to heighten the awareness of the destination’s cruise offerings to a global audience. Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Tourism, said, “Cruise Tourism is certainly a key industry for the Gulf and we are dedicated to educating consumers around the world about the region as a key winter cruising destination. We have been working to highlight Dubai’s ease of accessibility with the latest introduction of a multi-entry UAE visit visa exclusively for cruise tourists, as well as simplified immigration and cruise-specific visa procedures on our online portals.”

A new codeshare partnership was signed between Etihad Airways and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) with bookings effective immediately. Under the agreement, Etihad Airways will have its EY flight code on SWISS services between Geneva and Zurich, two key gateway cities served in Switzerland from Abu Dhabi. SWISS will market its LX code on Etihad Airways’ services between Zurich and Abu Dhabi, offering its passengers codeshare flights to and from the UAE’s capital city. The codeshare services are bookable now, for travel from March 26. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “This codeshare deepens Etihad Airways’ commitment to the Swiss travel market and Switzerland, a key destination for travellers from UAE, neighbouring Gulf countries, and across our Asia Pacific network. The partnership further strengthens the historic cultural, business and tourism ties that the UAE and Switzerland have enjoyed over many decades. For travellers from Switzerland, our new relationship with SWISS will provide access to Etihad’s award-winning service and the hospitality for which our Abu Dhabi home is known.”

The number of hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi during January rose 7.4 per cent versus the same month a year ago, building on the success of a record-breaking 2017 when close to a total of five million people stayed in the emirate. In total 437,228 hotel guests stayed in the emirate’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments during January, up  more than 30,000 over the previous year, figures disclosed by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). All three regions recorded an increase in hotel guests, Abu Dhabi up 6.3%, Al Ain Region up 7% and Al Dhafra Region up 17.3%. Multiple countries provided double-digit year-on-year growth in January, notably China (10.7%), India (31.5%), UK (19.1%), Saudi Arabia (15.4%) and the United States (36.1%). The surge in Indian travellers to the emirate, which rose 11.5% in 2017 to total 359,000, continued in January with more than 34,000 Indian hotel guests staying in Abu Dhabi, an increase of 31.5% on the year. DCT Abu Dhabi has focused on extensive marketing across India and held a number of roadshows in the country to attract more Indian travellers to experience the emirate.

Cruise Arabia, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), spearheaded the Abu Dhabi delegation that recently participated at Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Abu Dhabi’s participation in this international event is just one in a series of initiatives aimed at further promoting the cruise tourism sector in the Arabian Gulf and positioning Abu Dhabi as the leading cruise destination in the lead up to the 2018-19 cruise season. The Abu Dhabi delegation included Abu Dhabi Ports, Etihad Airways and the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs – Abu Dhabi. Seatrade Cruise Global is the leading annual global business-to-business event for the cruise industry. Bringing together buyers and suppliers for a four-day conference and three-day exhibition, the forum draws more than 11,000 registered attendees, over 700 exhibiting companies from 113 countries and more than 300 international journalists to become the cruise industry’s epicentre of ideas, products and services.

Global luxury hospitality company Jumeirah has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi United Hospitality LLC to develop Jumeirah Al Wathba Desert Resort in Abu Dhabi. Expected to welcome guests from September 2018, Al Wathba Desert Resort will be developed by Abu Dhabi United Hospitality and operated by Jumeirah. A luxurious, quintessential Arabian-style hotel set in the desert, 50 km to the south east of Abu Dhabi in the Al Wathba District, Jumeirah Al Wathba Desert Resort will be a key addition to Abu Dhabi’s and UAE’s luxury hospitality offering. Spread over an area of more than 20,000 metres square, it will comprise 90 hotel rooms and 13 villas, with complementary premium facilities including all-day-dining, pool and rooftop bars, Talise spa and an offsite desert camp along with other leisure options as well as conference and meeting facilities. Marc Dardenne, Chief Operating Officer, Jumeirah, said: “Growing the Jumeirah portfolio is one of our strategic priorities. Jumeirah Al Wathba Desert Resort will be the 12th luxury Jumeirah hotel in the UAE and this project offers Jumeirah an opportunity to showcase our Arabian hospitality. We are confident the resort will be an outstanding destination and will further boost tourism in the emirate.”

Etihad Airways has launched its first flight to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan from Abu Dhabi. The inaugural flight, EY297, departed Abu Dhabi with a special delegation including diplomats, dignitaries, media representatives and senior members of Etihad Airways’ management team. On arrival in Baku, the aircraft was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, followed by the customary display of the Emirati and Azerbaijani national flags from the cockpit windows. Flying three times a week using a 136-seat Airbus A320, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy Class, the new flights will operate every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, providing optimal daylight timings for guests departing and arriving in Abu Dhabi and Baku. The schedule provides convenient connections to and from the airline’s global network and has been timed evenly throughout the week to provide a mix of weekend, short stay and business travel options. Etihad Airways and Azerbaijan Airlines recently announced a codeshare partnership which now sees Azerbaijan Airlines place its ‘J2’ code on Etihad Airways services between Baku and Abu Dhabi. Under this partnership, Azerbaijan Airlines guests will be able to book codeshare flights to and from Abu Dhabi and connect onto Etihad Airways’ extensive global network.

Hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2018 kicked off in Al Ain Region, as part of the PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018 (PATA ATRTCM). Participants engaged through pre-matched appointments, and face-to-face meetings with adventure product buyers and sellers from across the world. HE Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Tourism Sector, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “We would like to thank all the delegates for taking part in all the meeting at the PATA Travel Mart this year. We strongly believe in the need to create strong partnerships between the private and public sectors to drive the industry forward.  Our aim to host and attract conferences is to make Abu Dhabi the place to engage with all of our international stakeholders, and exchange knowledge which would benefit our economies and communities.” To conclude the successful conference, delegates took part in a day tour of Al Ain to experience Abu Dhabi’s top tourism offerings, including the Al Ain National Museum and Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum, amongst other renowned cultural and heritage sites.

Etihad Airways has added a second daily direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Rome, effective March 25, 2018. The new service will take the total number of Etihad Airways’ flights on the route to 14 a week. The additional frequencies will be introduced in phases, beginning March 25, with five extra weekly flights, rising to a twice-a-day service from May 1. The new early morning departure from Abu Dhabi and midday return service from Rome will offer links to popular cities across Australia, China, Japan and Korea. With the additional service, Etihad Airways’ frequency between Abu Dhabi and its two Italian gateways of Rome and Milan will increase to three flights a day. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways said, “Ensuring our guests have greater flexibility and more travel options is a focus for Etihad Airways. Since we launched the Abu Dhabi-Rome route in 2014, it has become one of our most popular services for business and leisure travellers. We are therefore delighted to further develop the route with additional services.” Etihad Airways’ codeshare partner Alitalia has announced that it will discontinue the operation of its daily flight between Rome and Abu Dhabi from March 25.

As part of the Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi’s mandate to promote Abu Dhabi as a world-class destination of distinction, the capital welcomed travel agents from Thomas Cook India as part of a familiarisation trip to highlight key tourism offerings in the emirate. The five-day trip included a wide range of cultural, hospitality, leisure and entertainment activities showcasing Abu Dhabi’s diverse offerings, with a special focus on attracting Indian travellers. In 2017, more than 360,000 Indian hotel guests stayed in the emirate’s 163 hotels and hotel apartments – a year-on-year rise of 11 per cent – making India the second largest international source market for tourists in 2017. This collaborative trip’s main aim was to help boost Indian visitor numbers for this year. Delegates were taken to a variety of key heritage sites including Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Arabian Knight Village, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre and Al Ain Oasis. Hotel site visits were also an integral part of the itinerary. Additionally, the travel agents and tourism delegates were invited to experience leisure and entertainment attractions including day trips to Yas Island, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall.