Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which manages the tourism industry in the largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates, is to assume lead arranger role in an ambitious tourism initiative aimed at sustaining the destination’s expanding business tourism (MICE) segment. The Advantage Abu Dhabi (AAD) initiative will catalyse and seed innovative and viable business events which are aligned to the Abu Dhabi Government’s 2030 Economic Vision.
Structured as a venture capital-type apparatus, AAD is designed to support the lucrative MICE segment to realise the direct tourism benefits it engenders and to ensure that the business tourism sector serves as an important growth pillar for Abu Dhabi’s long-term economic, social, human resource and infrastructure development goals. AAD will see ADTA lead-arrange financial and/or non-financial resources to enable meeting planners and exhibition and conference organisers to catalyse and actualise new business events in Abu Dhabi across 12 strategic sectors.
The relevant sectors are: energy, petrochemicals, metals, aviation/aerospace/defence, pharmaceuticals/biotech/life sciences, tourism, healthcare, education, transport/trade/logistics, media, financial services and telecommunications. Business event organisers with a viable proposal can apply to tap into the AAD Initiative, which lists financial grants, governmental endorsement, leadership patronage, cost rebates and marketing support among its main levers.
“Criteria for assessing the type and degree of support will encompass social, economic and tourism impact, innovation and creativity, successful track record, in-depth industry understanding and expertise, as well as commitment to Abu Dhabi’s long-term goals,” explained His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA.
“The AAD initiative mirrors the ‘one-destination’ approach which enabled us to successfully bid for ‘host city’ status of the 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress – the world’s longest-running medical convention – which will deliver more than 12,000 visitors to the emirate,” explained Al Muhairi. “This new initiative will be very much a partnership approach in which all concerned – organisers, venues and the destination – will together make a substantial difference to Abu Dhabi’s business tourism sector.” www.abudhabitourism.ae
