Abu Dhabi Debuts At MATTA Travel Fair

Malaysian Promotion Third In ADTA Emerging Market Drive

Abu Dhabi is next month making a debut appearance at the prestigious MATTA travel fair in Malaysia – the third new overseas market the emirate’s tourism industry has entered in this year following successful launch showings at India’s SATTE and Fitur in Spain.

Led by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the MATTA pavilion will feature tour operators, the emirate’s leading exhibitions facility – Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre – and Abu Dhabi Airports Company, which operates the state-of-the-art Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Hopes are high of contracting new business with Abu Dhabi lying within an easy six-to-seven hours flying time from South East Asia and with Etihad Airways, the award-winning national airline of the UAE operating daily Kuala Lumpur-Abu Dhabi services.

“Our estimates show that Abu Dhabi attracts between 20 to 22 per cent of all Malaysian tourists arrivals to the Middle East. The emirate has a strong offering when it comes to sports and MICE events and the number of Malaysian tourists is set to increase a lot by next year as more and more events such as Rally Abu Dhabi, which will take place later this year as a World Rally Championship candidature event and the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which takes place on the Yas Marina Circuit on November 14, become established events,” said Rajiv Vats Manager of Abu Dhabi pavilion sharer Kanoo Holidays for the UAE and Oman.

ADTA figures show that last year the emirate, tipped by two of the world’s top travel guides – Frommer’s and Lonely Planet – as a top ten destination to visit in 2010, received 72,328 hotel guests from South East Asia last year – 5,515 of which were Malaysian.

“Ease of air access from the region and the fact that Abu Dhabi is a prime stop-over destination for South East Asia travelers on their way to Europe and North America, make it an emerging source market for us,” explained Mubarak Al Nuaimi, International Promotions Manager, ADTA.

Al Nuaimi also added ADTA will update visitors to MATTA, which runs from March 12-14, on the emirate’s expanding portfolio of year-round world-class events.

Abu Dhabi last year bucked the international tourism downturn boosting its hotel guest arrivals by 2% to 1.54 million. Some seven hotels, many of them on Yas Island, including the iconic Yas Hotel – the only property in the world straddling an F1™ race track, have opened in the emirate over the past six months taking its room inventory to 17.500 with an additional 5,000 rooms due on line this year in 10 new properties.

Abu Dhabi is also keenly eyeing South East Asia’s meetings, incentive and conventions business as it looks to establish itself as the Happening Place for Business Tourism. The UAE capital’s ADNEC is now the largest exhibition and conference facility in the Arabian Gulf and one of the world’s most modern. It is expecting to host over 100 major events this year – a 25% increase on 2009.
 

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