Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority scoops travel weekly's 'Best Destination Marketing Award'

The awards, which result from a readers' poll followed by judging by an appointed panel of experts, recognise the 'best-of-the-best' enterprises in China's travel, meetings and incentive industry both inbound and outbound. ADTA was also short listed among the top three nominees for the 'Best Meetings & Incentive Destination Marketing.'

"This honour is extremely timely coinciding as it does with ADTA's prioritising of China as a key source market and the recent granting of Approved Destination Status by the Chinese authorities to the United Arab Emirates,"

said Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA.

"It would appear we have made a substantial impact upon the growing travel trade within China, an advantage we must now press home and translate into productive consumer awareness to build arrivals from the People's Republic."
The award was presented to Dayne Lim, ADTA's Product Development Director at a glittering ceremony in Beijing's Raffles hotel.

Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates which make up the UAE and home to Abu Dhabi city, the country's capital, is currently establishing dedicated MICE divisions within its three offices established over a year ago in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

A major Abu Dhabi delegation is currently participating in the China Incentive Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in Beijing. The ADTA-led delegation includes Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre; professional conference organiser IIR Middle East; Le Meridien Hotel which is close to the UAE capital's business district; Al Masaood Travel, one of the emirate's leading tour operators; Royal Jet, the luxury private jet charter company; Aloft, the latest hotel to make its debut in Abu Dhabi next to ADNEC; Etihad, the national airline of the UAE which operates four flights a week from Beijing to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Airports Company, which operates the award-winning Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Abu Dhabi's renewed Chinese focus will be in evidence again this November when a destination delegation, again led by the ADTA, will make its debut at the China International Travel Mart in Kunming.