ADTA SIGNS MoU WITH UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
The agreements are part of a long-term ADTA industry-wide professional development and training strategy aimed at giving the destination a distinct competitive edge.
The three-pronged training strategy will engage all industry sectors, with business tourism being a main beneficiary.
"Our professional development and training initiatives for the tourism sector are being taken to build long-term destination competitiveness which we believe depends, particularly within the MICE market, on consistent delivery of world-class service standards by a human resource pool of well-trained, committed and dedicated professionals," said Ahmed Hussein.
Abu Dhabi is prioritising business tourism viewing it as the industry's most lucrative segment, with wide-ranging impact on local economic and social growth. The wider business tourism sector currently accounts for around 80% of the emirate's hotel guest profile - with 10% of this directly attributable to meetings, conferences and exhibitions.
The emirate has invested heavily in ADNEC. Expansion of the centre's exhibition and conference facilities was completed recently, resulting in the Middle East's largest exhibition and conference centre with 73,000 square metres of exhibition space.