Abu Dhabi heads stateside for IMEX America business tourism drive

Abu Dhabi (WAM): Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry is heading to the United States' mainline business tourism exhibition – IMEX America - with a portfolio of compelling incentives aimed at wooing major association meetings to its shores. Joining the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, a division of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) at the prestigious three-day trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada between October 14th and 16th, will be representatives from the U.A.E.’s national airline Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and several five-star hotels. The trade party will aim to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s presence in the global meetings and events sector, and build on the success of being named the Middle East’s Leading Meetings and Convention Destination at the World Travel Awards earlier this year. This will be the third time Abu Dhabi has been represented at IMEX, which is the world’s most prominent exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, following its debut in the same city in 2012 and in Frankfurt, Germany last year. TCA Abu Dhabi forecasts that the emirate’s Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment will double in value by 2020 to reach almost US$1.4bn, with the sector earmarked for a significant role in the emirate’s overall economic expansion aligned to Abu Dhabi Government’s 2030 Economic Vision. Among numerous major conventions to have committed to Abu Dhabi recently, the city has secured the 3rd and 5th Middle East and Africa Osteoporosis Meetings of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), with the events scheduled for December 2015 and December 2019. Each conference will attract 1,500 scientists, physicians and medical societies to the city aimed at promoting worldwide awareness and prevention of the disease. Mubarak Al Shamisi, Director, Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, said, "Abu Dhabi is an international oil and gas hub so it understands business and business people and is well versed in catering to their needs. Abu Dhabi is a world class venue which excels as a location for global events and meetings having excellent East-West air links. Our national airline, accessible location between East and West, first class hotels with highly competitive room rates and rich diversity of cultures and attractions combine to make the emirate a very appealing place to do business and host global events. Currently there are over 150 hotels across the emirate ranging from one-star lodgings to five-star luxury hotels offering almost 28,000 rooms. Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of ADNEC, said, "This continued growth in our operational performance, and the growth of the wider business tourism industry in Abu Dhabi, underscores the important contribution this sector makes to the economic development of the emirate. Other hotels from Abu Dhabi attending IMEX in Las Vegas include the five-star Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395270596607.html