“The two days of meetings in Abu Dhabi were
very intense,” said Stefan van der Kruyf, Director of Sales & Marketing, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. “The summit successfully provided both parties with constructive feedback and better understanding of the Chinese market’s needs and potential.” The sentiment was echoed by Asli Plail, MICE
Product Manager at Yas Marina Circuit. “China is a very important market to us, not only because of the sheer number of Chinese travellers, but also due to the incredible buying power of the FIT (frequent individual traveller) and corporates.” For Ferrari World Abu Dhabi the event helped
the iconic attraction to cement its place on the itineraries of Chinese visitors. “The Chinese Visitor Summit was an excellent
initiative to help the flow of cross-country tourism and help local travel and tourism vendors understand the Chinese visitor better and how best to market and communicate with them,” said Bruno Wiley, Sales Director. “With the opening up of the organised outbound market from mainland China, the UAE as a whole has seen a great deal of interest from Chinese travellers.”
Over 70 tour operators from China enjoyed a bespoke introduction to the UAE, thanks to the inaugural Chinese Visitor Summit in September. Organised by Nicholas Publishing International (NPI) in
partnership with Shanghai-based i2i Group, the inaugural event took place in Abu Dhabi from September 2 to 3 and in Dubai from September 5 to 6. The summit was dedicated to building inbound Chinese visitor numbers by matching buyers to over 100 UAE travel providers, hoteliers, attractions and retailers keen to tap into this lucrative Asian market. Summit partners and suppliers went above and beyond to impress the Chinese delegation, which included 10 Chinese journalists from some of the country’s leading luxury lifestyle magazines and newspapers. Each member of the group experienced customised
Arabian hospitality during their stay in the UAE. The extraordinary efforts of host hotels and other travel industry suppliers continued to be felt throughout the week. “Our host hotels have surpassed expectations by going to great lengths to customise their services,” said Rob Nicholas, Managing Director of NPI. “Emirates Palace, for instance, provided welcome notes in Mandarin, Chinese-speaking employees to assist the guests and handmade fortune cookies in the rooms.” The Abu Dhabi leg of the summit lasted three-and-a-
half days and included a glamorous welcome reception at Emirate Palace, as well as a tour of the emirate, taking in key attractions such as Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the Falcon Hospital and the upcoming Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi. The two-day conference, which took place at Yas Viceroy
Abu Dhabi, included an address by Professor Dai Bin, President of China Tourism Academy and Mubarak Al Nuaimi, International Promotions Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi). Summit co-organiser Alexander Glos, MD, i2i Group China,
gave delegates an overview of the outbound Chinese travel market while face-to-face meetings between the Chinese travel buyers, conference delegates and travel suppliers took up the remainder of the schedule.
Right: Rob Nicholas, Managing Director of NPI introduces the Dubai edition of the summit
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UAE travel providers, hoteliers, attractions and retailers keen to tap into this lucrative Asian market
100 participated
EXPLORING DUBAI Moving on to Dubai, Chinese delegates were able to take in the contrasting features of the capital’s bullish neighbour. Following tours of the host hotels, the guests spent time at The Dubai Mall and in Downtown Dubai before heading to Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa for a traditional dinner reception at Al Hadeerah.
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