Officials to pitch Abu Dhabi to Koreans and Japanese

Abu Dhabi officials will visit Japan and South Korea this week to market the capital as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

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Abu Dhabi officials will visit Japan and South Korea this week to market the capital as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions.

The Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, set up in March to draw business tourism to the capital, hopes to tap into the steady increase in outbound travellers from both countries.

"Korea and Japan present huge opportunities for Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (Adnec) in achieving our objectives to attract leading meetings, conferences and exhibitions," said Robin Miller, the sales director for conferences and events at Adnec, which is supporting the bureau's work. "Our geographical proximity to western markets, while remaining in easy reach of key eastern markets, will serve as a key strategic advantage in raising our profile to these audiences."

The visit comes as Abu Dhabi seeks to compete as a major destination for regional and global business travel. The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, which oversees the bureau, wants to push up the economic contribution of business events in the emirate by 7 per cent each year until 2020.

The roadshow will kick off at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Tokyo tomorrow, before moving on to the Plaza Hotel in Seoul on Thursday.

Fifteen representatives from 12 businesses, including Etihad Airways, the Tourism Development and Investment Company, Emirates Palace, Anantara Group, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas and City Seasons Company, will make the trip.

Officials are keen to promote the expanding network of routes offered by Etihad Airways, together with Abu Dhabi's growing airport and plethora of new hotels, to draw in business travellers.

The latest promotional tour follows a similar trip to the United States cities of New York, Chicago and Washington earlier this year.

"We recognise the role we play in the development of the emirate in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030," said Mr Miller. "Our collaborative approach to attracting the world's leading meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events to Abu Dhabi are testament to our commitment towards this mandate."

The capital is expected to host 1.7 million visitors this year.