Al Nowais hails advantage Abu Dhabi initiative

Speaking after the launch of the initiative, which is aimed at sustaining the destination's expanding business tourism (MICE) segment, Al Nowais pledged the programme would receive Rotana's "full support."

"We will stand to benefit from this move - the meetings industry, locally and globally, the hospitality industry and suppliers and Emirati youth who are being targeted in the support personal development and training programme which backs up the initiative. All in the destination should really get behind this."

said Al Nowais.

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.

ADTA is supporting the AAD initiative with an industry-wide professional development and training strategy aimed at giving the destination a distinct competitive edge through the provision of uncompromising service excellence. A key strand of the strategy aims to increase the number of Emiratis working in the destination's tourism segment.

"Training is vital - so too is the realisation that the industry must compete with other industries on salary levels," said Al Nowais.

"There are huge opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industries for young locals but they are not aware enough of what is out there. If the authority can lead the way in correcting misconceptions of limited openings, we will get somewhere.

"Advantage Abu Dhabi is an initiative which I see as adding great value not only to the local economy but also to the local society. I think all in the industry within Abu Dhabi will be only too happy to lend it their greatest support."