Travel Bulletin spoke to DCT Abu Dhabis director of Travel Trade and Markets Development at World Travel Market in London.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi took to WTM to reestablish its presence in the UK market, launch a new campaign, and reconnect with the UK trade.
Its new destination campaign: 'Experience Abu Dhabi, Find Your Pace.' debuted alongside 36 of the board's partners. The campaign highlights the variety of experiences that inspire, excite, and resort guests to the destination.
The timing couldn't be better for the new campaign's launch, with Abdulla Yousuf, the director of Travel Trade and Markets Development, explaining: "The UAE government recently announced that all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted – so for travellers, the experience is hassle free.
"It's perfect timing. We've launched our campaign around travellers searching for true experiences. The key message in there is come and enjoy Abu Dhabi, but by all means, do it at your own pace."
On the Abu Dhabi Specialist programme, a key resource for trade partners looking to promote and sell the destination, Yousuf elaborated: "The platform itself has always been a key source for information, updating the trade on the changes in the destination.
"We have a strategy for 2030 that comes in three different phases – the first focuses on domestic or one-day visitors, but phase two and phase three will focus on the value proposition of international visitors. Before the end of this year we'd have launched a dedicated campaign for phase one, that will extend the average length of stays in Abu Dhabi, and all the resources and key selling points will be made clear through the Specialist programme."
"Our objective is, and this goes perfectly with the new campaign, that you come to Abu Dhabi, you do it at your own pace, and to make sure visitors have something to do beyond enjoying your time on the beach or in the resorts."
WTM also saw the announcement of an extension to the board's partnership with Hotelbeds, that will encourage travel agents to promote the destination across key and emerging markets. The partnership will continue to open up opportunities for Abu Dhabi to take part in trade roadshows and direct meetings with agent partners.
A partnership with WebBeds was also announced, simplifying the booking process to offer agents a seamless booking process for Abu Dhabi experiences.
