With a colossal number of business and leisure tourism projects set to come to fruition in Abu Dhabi this year, opportunities are opening up for meetings industry professionals seeking something new. Gemma Greenwood reports
There’s no doubt about it, Abu Dhabi is on the verge of an infrastructure explosion as literally dozens of projects that have been on the boil for many years are set to open in the fourth quarter of this year. As you would expect, it is hotels, apartments, resi-
dences and other types of accommodation that domi- nate the agenda, which not only open up a vast range of new accommodation options, but meetings facilities and events spaces galore. Several hotel brands will be making their debut in
the UAE capital over the next few months. The Ritz- Carlton, Jumeirah, Sofitel, Rocco Forte and Westin, to name but a few – while Saadiyat Island is poised to celebrate the opening of its first two hotels; the Park Hyatt and the St Regis. The first round of post-Ramadan openings is
already upon us as many of the hotels in the pipeline used the Holy Month as an opportunity to train staff and refine their finishing touches before accepting guests through their doors in September. But it’s not just hotels grabbing the attention of
the buying community; several unique developments are also gracing the UAE’s capital with their presence. For example, Abu Dhabi is also now home to a
meeting professional's playground – the Al Forsan International Sports Resort – boasting an exciting range of sports activities, meeting facilities and din- ing options that have ‘book me’ written all over them. Not only that but a brand new conference centre
in the sublime location of Sir Bani Yas Island will be ready for business by the end of the year.
Desert Islands Conference Centre will be located
next to the Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara and will be the island’s first and only centre to cater to larger groups (340 guests). It will be complemented by new watersports and
equestrian centres as well as more luxury island accom- modation – Al Sahel Lodge by Anantara and Al Yamm Lodge by Anantara, both of which feature 30 villas. Abu Dhabi also has an exciting line-up of events
planned for the rest of the year and into 2012. For starters, there’s the 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Air-
ways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit (November 11-13), plus other sporting events including the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (December 30 to January 1); the Volvo Ocean Race (January 1-14); the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (in Janu- ary), and big events lined up at Yas Links and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in January. With so many developments, events and hotels
in the pipeline and new hotel rooms opening in Abu Dhabi hitting the 4,000 mark in 2011, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) should have no problem in achieving its growth targets for the emirate. ADTA projects a 15 percent increase in business-
related visitors to the emirate this year rising by 200,000 on last year to 1.5 million — some 225,000 of which it believes will be attributed to meetings, incentives, con- ventions and exhibitions. Here, meetme takes a look at some of the major
projects opening over the next few months that you should know about.
/ 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68