Abu Dhabi ranks 73 in biz tourism hotspots

Abu Dhabi / WAM

Abu Dhabi has climbed to 73rd position in the annual ranking of the world’s top destinations for meetings and congresses released by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, said, “We are proud of Abu Dhabi’s brilliant achievement at a global level. Abu Dhabi’s race up the ICCA ranking table, leaping 35 places, is the outcome of concerted efforts of all key stakeholders in the business tourism industry and in line with the vision of the emirate’s leadership to promote Abu Dhabi as the capital of business tourism in the region.
The growing appeal of the city as a destination of choice for leading international associations can be mainly attributed to the top-notch services and facilities offered by the emirate in the meetings and congresses sector.”
He added, “Over the past few years, TCA Abu Dhabi has collaborated with our strategic partners to enhance the credentials and attractiveness of Abu Dhabi in the MICE sector, on both regional and international levels. We are committed to continuing this collaboration given the high average spend of business delegates attending meetings and conferences, accounting for more than 7% of regular leisure tourists visiting the city.
“ADNEC is our key partner in driving the MICE sector in Abu Dhabi and boasts a successful track record in hosting many high-profile international meetings and congresses that have promoted Abu Dhabi’s leading status as a major tourism destination.”
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Acting Group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, said, “ADNEC is delighted with this latest accomplishment notched up by Abu Dhabi. What makes this achievement truly notable is that Abu Dhabi has jumped 161 places in the ICCA ranking within a span of three years, from 234 in 2012 to 73 in 2015.”
“The advanced ranking achieved by the UAE capital is not our ultimate goal, but it reflects the great confidence placed by the industry in Abu Dhabi’s ability to host high-profile meetings and international conferences. It also validates the advanced facilities and the state-of-the-art venue space offered by Abu Dhabi to ensure the success of all global events hosted here.”