Abu Dhabi can expect more visitors from China after the first direct flights between Hong Kong and the capital were announced.
Cathay Pacific will start flying to Hong Kong from June 2, opening up access to cities across mainland China through its sister carrier Dragonair.
"The greater China region, comprising Hong Kong and mainland China, is undoubtedly one of the fastest-growing market segments for tourism in Abu Dhabi," said Dayne Lim, the director of product development at Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). "With factors such as the inauguration of these flights, growth from Hong Kong and mainland China combined could top something above 20 per cent for the year 2011."
The new route could also facilitate business travel and trade between the two destinations as Hong Kong is a key global financial centre.
Almost 14,000 hotel guests from Hong Kong and mainland China stayed in Abu Dhabi last year, an increase of 28 per cent on 2009.
The number of Chinese tourists to the UAE surged after the Emirates was given "approved destination status" by Beijing towards the end of 2009, facilitating group leisure travel and promotion of the UAE. Because of this demand, hotels across the UAE have been recruiting more Chinese staff.
In the first two months of the year, there was growth of 14 per cent in the number of hotel guests from Hong Kong and China to Abu Dhabi, the ADTA said.
The UN World Tourism Organization predicts there will be 100 million outbound travellers from China by 2020. Global spending by Chinese tourists last year increased 17 per cent to US$43.7 billion (Dh160.5bn).
"Of course Hong Kong is also a major leisure destination … as a dining and shopping paradise, with attractions such as Disneyland and other homegrown attractions," said Tom Wright, the regional general manager for Cathay Pacific.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) said it was "not easy" to secure the direct flights, explaining it had taken a few years of talks to attract the airline to Abu Dhabi.
"Long-haul routes take a lot of time to develop," said George Karamanos, the vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Adac.
Cathay Pacific said it would launch the flights with promotional fares starting from Dh2,388 to Hong Kong and Dh2,488 to mainland China. The flights also open up more routes to other destinations in Asia and Australia.
Abu Dhabi is the fifth destination the Hong Kong airline flies to in the Middle East. It launched flights to Dubai more than 30 years ago.
