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Abu Dhabi to hit the road in Australia!

From July 29 to 31, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and its partners will organise a road show in Australia.

From Qasr Al Sarab and its Liwa desert surroundings to Yas Island and its fun parks, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA) and its tourism and leisure partners will pack the emirate’s best and head to Australia for a road show.

From July 29 to 31, the ADTCA and eight other industry partners, including Etihad Airways, will visit three Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The ADTCA already has a permanent tourism office in Australia, which helped increase the number of Aussies travelling to Abu Dhabi to around 35,000 annually.

The roadshow’s aim is to train retail travel agents and Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) consultants on the latest destination offerings of the emirate. “Our timing could not be better! Etihad’s new sponsorship deal and the new Perth flights will bring increasing focus on Abu Dhabi and we need to capitalise on this,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, director of Promotions and Overseas Offices, ADTCA.

Last month, Etihad Airways sealed a five-year sponsorship deal with the Australian football team Melbourne City FC, and on July 15 it launched daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Perth. “We anticipate meeting around 350 agents and consultants from both the leisure and Mice segments, including key influencers from Australia’s top retail travel chains and wholesalers, and tour operators who currently contract Arabian Peninsula products,” said Al Nuaimi.

In the first five months of this year, about 16,952 Australians stayed in the emirate’s hotels, marking an eight per cent rise on the same period last year.

Yet, industry-wide, Abu Dhabi’s tourism stakeholders believe much more can be achieved from the Australian market, particularly from the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) segment, and stopover trade. Yas Island is one of them.

“We are capitalising on our convenient location for long-haul travellers, whether they are seeking a memorable short break, or are here for a long stay to indulge in our unique destination offerings,” said Clive Dwyer, director of Yas Island Destination Management. “We’re also planning to further tap into the VFR market from Australia as well as point-to-point for those looking to conduct inspiring, unconventional business events.”

Dwyer estimates around 30,000 Australians visit Yas Island per year with an average annual growth rate of four per cent. Mostly, they visit Yas for its annual sport event, the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but also for the Yas Links Abu Dhabi golf course, as well as the Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld fun parks.

In October, the ADTCA is also planning to host a mega familiarisation trip to Abu Dhabi for key Australian travel agents and professionals.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com