ADTA begins roadshow to woo European tourists

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is promoting Abu Dhabi in the European market to help boost tourism during the second half of this year. Representatives from the ADTA, along with representatives from Etihad, set out on their second European roadshow yesterday with their first stop in Moscow. The trip, which includes seven cities in six countries, has been planned to raise awareness of the emirate's upcoming activities and alert the European Travel Trade of their planned October-January programme. "We are looking to work with the [European travel] trade to crystallise development of new, event-centric travel packages and promotions," said Dayne Lim, Product Development Director at the ADTA. The nine-day roadshow includes stops in Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, London, Manchester and Dublin. The destinations have been chosen as they are among the ADTA's "primary source markets for the mega events that are lined up," Lim said. An additional 10 luxury hotels and resorts, due to open in the third and fourth quarter of this year, will lift the emirate's room inventory by 4,000 to 22,800 rooms. When comparing the first five months of 2011 with the same period in 2010, average room rates have declined by 15 per cent, according to Lawrence Franklin, Director of Strategy and Policy at the ADTA. However, he said that the impact of this new supply is difficult to predict. In the first five months of this year, the destination received 866,501 hotel guests, said Lim. "By the end of this year, our target is two million, so we would seem to be very much on course to reach this given what we have in store in the third and fourth quarters." But to reach that two million target, the ADTA is banking on the emirate's busy end-of-the-year schedule. In November, the capital will be gearing up for its third Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will be followed by celebrations marking the UAE's 40th anniversary in December, New Year cele-brations and hosting the Volvo Ocean Race fleet for a two-week stopover. A ‘Destination Village' is currently under construction on the Abu Dhabi Corniche and will be open to the public from December 30 to January 14. It will serve as a sailing centre once the Volvo Ocean Race fleet sails out of the country's capital and the ADTA is expecting 100,000 visitors for this major event. Among the new hotels coming on line this year are: Westin Hotel & Spa; Abu Dhabi Golf Club; Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara; Hyatt Capital Gate; Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi; Saadiyat Island; Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi; St. Regis Saadiyat Resort and Residences; Saadiyat Island; Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, and the Ritz Carlton, Grand Canal Abu Dhabi. From / Gulf News