Abu Dhabi’s hotel guests remain heavily business-oriented with an 80/20 business-to-leisure profile though ADTA believes its growing leisure offering will change this ratio.
“Over the past year we have seen many private sector initiatives create new leisure offerings. We have welcomed the Big Bus open-top-bus tours of the capital city, speedboat tours around the coastline, fishing and diving, the opening of the Kids Park Zoo as well as two championship-ready golf courses on Saadiyat and Yas islands and the expansion of an all-grass course in Al Ain into an 18-hole facility.
“We believe the existing momentum can be accelerated and are looking at ways to motivate tour operators and entrepreneurs to bring new products to market. The launch of our Horizons Abu Dhabi initiative, which provides incentives to those with viable B2C concepts is a case in point – more will follow.”
ADTA's first international visitor survey is shedding new light on Abu Dhabi's total tourist profile, especially those visiting friends and relatives. “Visitors for these, and other overnight purposes, may swell our estimates of Abu Dhabi’s total visitor population by 20-30%,” explained Al Muhairi. “When these extra visitors, who are predominantly leisure focussed, are taken into account, the business/leisure tourism split could look more like 60/40. ADTA's target is to move this proportion closer to 50/50 by 2012. Expansion of leisure facilities, such as those on Yas Island, particularly this year’s planned opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest indoor theme park, the development of world-class cultural attractions on Saadiyat Island and an expanded purpose built resort portfolio will help to realise this target in the medium term.”
Abu Dhabi’s hotel room stock is set to rise further this year – by 4,000 plus rooms. Another 11 hotels are slated to open by the year end including: the Venetian inspired waterfront resort Grand Canal Abu Dhabi by JW Marriott, being built by Abu Dhabi National Hotels which, with 500 rooms and suites, will be the second largest hotel development to date in the UAE; the Rocco Forte Abu Dhabi, a joint venture by Tourism Development & Investment Company and the UAE’s Al Farida Investment Company LLC, which marks the Rocco Forte Collection’s entry into the Middle East and the 257 rooms and suites Hili Rayhaan by Rotana in the emirate’s heritage city of Al Ain.
“Destination development is also being significantly enhanced by improved air access resulting from the growth of Etihad Airways’ route network, which is opening up access to high potential markets and the arrival of new airlines serving both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain international airports. There is also a significant amount of traffic now transiting Abu Dhabi International Airport which holds out huge potential for the development of competitive stop-over packages,” added Al Muhairi.
Etihad Airways recently launched a five-times weekly service from Tokyo to Abu Dhabi while Air France is to commence a five-times weekly service from Charles de Gaulle to the UAE capital on May 3. On the same day Oman Air will inaugurate a daily scheduled service from Seeb International to Al Ain.