NEW DELHI, June 23: Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates comprising UAE, is expecting Indians to account for the largest chunk of visitors in 2014 as it hard sells itself as a business and leisure destination.
“We expect India to be the largest source market for Abu Dhabi in 2014. At present, the Indian market is the second highest source market (after UK) and we are targeting for the number one position,” Bejan Dinshaw, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) Country Manager India, told.
TCA Abu Dhabi counts tourist arrivals based on hotel stays and has been focusing on leisure and business traffic.
“We shall continue to support these segments through focused promotional strategies,” he said, adding in 2012, a total of 1,38,768 Indian visitors stayed in Abu Dhabi.
“This year, 50,057 Indian guests have stayed in Abu Dhabi till April, an increase of 18 per cent over the same period last year,” Dinshaw said.
TCA Abu Dhabi is confident that Indians will largely contribute to Abu Dhabi achieving its overall target of hosting 2.5 million hotel guests in 2013.
Considering the vast untapped Indian potential and the enhanced connectivity, he added: “We can predict an upsurge of traffic to the destination in the near future, and this connectivity would further enhance the role of Indian arrivals.”
An increase in number of Indian visitors has been achieved by focusing on the leisure and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) segments, he added.
When asked about the specific initiatives being planned by TCA Abu Dhabi for promoting the emirate as a preferred destination, Dinshaw said: “Our focus is on consumer awareness and trade engagement while creating a niche positioning for the destination in the process.”
TCA Abu Dhabi is also planning to have consumer engagement programmes, industry activations and educational activities to promote the destination through road shows, joint promotions and trade fair participations in various parts of India.
It is also liaising with the Indian corporate to promote Abu Dhabi for MICE, he added. (PTI)
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