Abu Dhabi business tourism to have strong presence at AIME 2008

Led by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the line-up includes a wide range of diversified travel and tourism products and projects including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC), Etihad Airways, Le Meridien Hotel and ADTA MICE Department.

AIME 2008, taking place from February 19 to 20 at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre in Australia, is expected to attract 850 exhibitors from 50 countries who will occupy some 13,500 square metres; and 2,600 visitors from the meetings and incentives industry. The show offers a collection of destinations, products and services to travel and trade visitors from worldwide.

Put up by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Abu Dhabi Stand measures 60 square metres and features four top organisations drawn from the emirate's leading travel and business tourism industry from both government and private sectors.

Mr. Mubarak Al Meheiri, ADTA's Director General, said:

"Our participation in this international business tourism event is in line with the ongoing aggressive promotional and marketing agenda that the ADTA has been pursuing to promote Abu Dhabi as a leading destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions tourism in the region and to attract more high-end leisure and business tourism visitors to the Emirate."

"AIME is an important event for our industry as it comes at a time when Abu Dhabi's tourism industry is booming with spectacular growth and a large number of world-class mega tourism and economic projects. We are delighted to be present in the show for the third consecutive years. It provides us and our partners with an ideal business opportunity to showcase the best of Abu Dhabi in terms of facilities, offerings and ongoing expansion and improvement of infrastructure needed for business events industry. It also provides an opportunity for us to network with key players from around the world, including key decision makers and investors from the Australian and Pacific markets, and brief them on the strong potential of Abu Dhabi in terms of business tourism facilities."

Al Meheiri added: "The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has put in place new marketing strategies to tap the meetings and incentives sector in order to attract more conferences and exhibitions to Abu Dhabi in line with the new and enhanced business and economic infrastructure projects in the emirate including hotels, exhibitions and conferences facilities, tourist attractions, cultural attractions and international sport venues and events. We are determined to enhance Abu Dhabi's position as a major tourist hub in the region as the emirate moves ahead with its ambitious strategy to upgrade the tourism sector in the coming years."

AIME is one of eight major regional and international exhibitions in which ADTA is participating this year as part of its ongoing marketing and promotion initiatives to promote Abu Dhabi as a world-class business tourism destination counting on the existing and upcoming mega tourism and economic developments and projects taking place in the emirate such as the "Cultural District" on Saadiyat Island which includes the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum of Modern Contemporary Art, Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Maritime Museum and Performing Art Center of Theatres & Arts.

In addition, ADTA is also using exhibitions to promote a variety of leisure activities and a wide range of sporting facilities and events, including golf, tennis and water sports that encourage more business and leisure visitors to come to the emirate.