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Abu Dhabi a hub of sports tourism

ABU DHABI — Sporting events like the Gulf Cup, better known as Khaleeji 18, the Golf Professionals Championship and the Al Ain Aerobatics Championship are set to catapult the emirate of Abu Dhabi into the league of premier tourism destinations around the world.

Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), says the chief objective is to turn the emirate into an international hub for sports tourism. “The UAE capital is ready to diversify its annual activities to include a wide spectrum of sports, cultural and art events that serve the major objective of boosting and promoting the emirate at both domestic and international levels.”

Agrees Mubarak Hamad Al Mohiri, Director General of the ADTA. “One of the positive features of these sporting events is that they attract various segments of tourists,” adds Mohiri.

The number of visitors to the annual events has increased with each passing year prompting the ADTA to take sports tourism into serious consideration. According to Mohiri, over 500,000 people were expected to visit the emirate in January.

The hotel industry in the emirate is also gearing up to tackle the huge infux of tourists. The occupancy rate at the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel is expected to reach 75 per cent by the end of this year as the number of visitors from the UK, France, Germany and Russia will increase, says Noel Masoud, Director General of the hotel. He adds that the Emirates Palace sponsors a lot of events in the city.