Abu Dhabi to boost conference tourism business

Abu Dhabi wants to boost its tourism industry by becoming a major regional centre for conferences and exhibitions, sources said.

Exhibition industry watchers see the decision to shift responsibility for the licensing of exhibitions to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority from the General Exhibitions Corp as an important step towards achieving this goal.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has become the sole licensing authority for all exhibitions in the capital, an official said.

According to the chairman of the Tourism Authority, Abu Dhabi wants to increase the number of exhibition delegates visiting the capital by 600 per cent over the next decade.

"All exhibitions in Abu Dhabi will henceforth be licensed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), according to a decree. The details are being finalised," Mubarak Al Muhairi, director-general of ADTA, told Gulf News. ADTA was established in late 2004.

The General Exhibitions Corp (GEC), a Government of Abu Dhabi exhibitions-organising body, was previously the sole licensing authority for exhibitions in the capital.

It will continue providing logistical support to those seeking to hold exhibitions here.

The shift of licensing powers to ADTA from GEC is consistent with Abu Dhabi's tourism-related ambitions, industry sources said.

It means a single agency can focus on identifying ways to maximise the number of business travellers and tourists who visit the capital.

A more centralised approach makes this task easier, they said.

"GEC will remain independent," Al Muhairi said. He spoke on the sidelines of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry Mid-East Congress that began here yesterday.

More than 250 delegates from Asia, the Middle East and Europe are attending the three-day event. It is being held in Abu Dhabi for the first time.

Leisure travel will be the key focus for ADTA, but the authority remains equally committed to the MICE sector, Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADTA, told delegates during his welcome address.

"Western Europe will be the primary tourism market we will focus on, in geographical terms. We will soon be opening offices in the United Kingdom and Germany," he said.

"Once we establish representation on the ground in these two key markets in 2005, we will roll out offices in other European countries, such as Switzerland and Austria," he said.