Abu Dhabi’s debut Travel & Tourism Week set to drive growth

Abu Dhabi plans to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to its gross domestic product to 12 per cent by 2030, up from 5 per cent this year, as the city continues to promote itself as a travel and culture destination.

Over the years, the UAE capital has intensified its promotion and marketing campaigns and is on track to meet its target of attracting 24 million visitors this year, up from 18 million in 2022.

Abu Dhabi is implementing several initiatives to further diversify its non-oil sectors, with a focus on growing strategic industries including tourism, manufacturing and advanced technology.

The initiatives include the long-anticipated opening of Terminal A, known as Midfield Terminal, at Abu Dhabi International Airport – which will enable the city to tap into new source markets and provide the capacity to handle up to 45 million passengers a year.

Travel & Tourism Week

To foster growth and reinforce the city’s status as a global tourism hub, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has kickstarted its inaugural Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Week which will be held from September 25 to 30.

The platform is set to further enhance Abu Dhabi’s business and leisure tourism industries while driving economic impact to the emirate and beyond.

The week starts with the first City Tourism Briefing event and supports the roll-out of the Abu Dhabi Business Events Forum, Abu Dhabi Wedding Show and the Future Hospitality Summit, leveraging the collective power of many tourism stakeholders from diverse industries.

Set to become an annual fixture on the calendar, each year Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Week will feature a mix of flagship and exclusive, one-off events.

“The Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Week is set to unlock new opportunities that reaffirm our commitment to positioning Abu Dhabi as a dynamic and sustainable hub for tourism.  We look forward to fostering growth in the sector by accelerating high-potential industries such as gastronomy, aviation, and business events and welcome all of our partners and future collaborators to join us in our journey,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the DCT Abu Dhabi.

“The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 drives our ambitions to build a strong foundation of strategic partnerships that facilitate the establishment of the emirate as a thriving global hub for business, investment, and leisure travel.”

The platform will advance Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry across a range of sectors, such as Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) events, hospitality, destination marketing, weddings and tourism strategy.

It joins a slate of DCT Abu Dhabi acceleration programmes that are designed to boost growth, elevate experiences, and reinforce the city’s status as a global culture and tourism hub. These include MICE industry incentive schemes such as Advantage Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Culinary Programme.

The scheduled events for the 2023 edition of the Abu Dhabi Travel and Tourism Week include:

City Tourism Briefing – September 25

Executives from across the tourism ecosystem, including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail sectors, in addition to government entities, will take part in the City Tourism Briefing, which provides a platform for Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector to engage with industry stakeholders. The invitation-only forum will host discussions on how to harness the latest innovations and trends to create a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future. The event will also allow DCT Abu Dhabi leadership to provide attendees with briefs on key initiatives, destination updates and upcoming plans.

Abu Dhabi Business Events Forum (ADBEF) – September 26-27

Returning for its third edition, ADBEF aims to be the foremost platform for the MICE industry in Abu Dhabi and the MENA region. The forum will facilitate the sharing of best practices, feature workshops delivered by professional MICE associations and keynote speakers, create social and networking opportunities, and foster the exploration of partnerships. For more details and event registration visit www.businesseventsweek.ae

Abu Dhabi Wedding Show (ADWS) – September 27-30

This inaugural event is set to be the premier platform for the destination wedding industry in Abu Dhabi and the MENA region, capitalising on the emirate’s venues and infrastructure, natural beauty, and prestige as a must-visit location. The day will be dedicated to sharing best practices, learning from workshops led by professionals and members of Wedding Planner Associations, hearing from keynote speakers, and providing networking opportunities within the community.

Future Hospitality Summit (FHS)– September 25-27

FHS is an international platform where influential hospitality investment decision-makers gather to exchange knowledge, explore new partnerships, and shape the future of the hospitality sector. This event represents an evolution from the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC) and has been hosted in various emirates. This edition marks the first time it takes place in Abu Dhabi. More event details on the panels, speakers and registrations can be found on www.futurehospitalitysummit.com/ae

Read: Abu Dhabi targets 24 million tourists for 2023