Abu Dhabi plans to increase the tourism sector's contribution to its gross domestic product to 12 per cent by 2030, up from 5 per cent this year, as the emirate continues to promote itself as a travel and culture destination.
The emirate's long-anticipated new Midfield terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport will enable the city to tap into new source markets and provide the capacity to handle more international passenger traffic once it opens, Saood Al Hosani, undersecretary of the emirate's Department of Culture and Tourism, told The National on Thursday.
"The airport is going to play a critical role in, first of all, promoting the destination and giving accessibility to a large number of international visitors," he said.
"With [the airport's] expansion and growth strategy, this is going to open new markets for us to tap into."
Abu Dhabi is seeking to diversify non-oil sectors – as part of wider plans to reduce the economy's reliance on oil – with a focus on growing strategic industries including tourism, manufacturing, advanced technology and logistics.
The emirate is promoting Emirati heritage, cultural experiences, international theme parks, global sports events, corporate events and incentive travel.
In April, it launched a new fund aimed at further growing its meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) industry.
The UAE capital is intensifying its promotion and marketing campaigns and is "on track" to meet its target of attracting 24 million visitors this year, up from 18 million last year, Mr Al Hosani said.
Abu Dhabi is running promotional campaigns to 44 markets currently, up from 22 markets previously, to spread awareness about the city's diverse tourism offerings, he said.
The top source markets for Abu Dhabi include China, India, the GCC, Egypt, Italy, France, Germany, US and the UK, the undersecretary said.
"We have expansion into a lot of markets in western Europe, but what's going to give us a huge difference is ... the expansion into the Chinese and Indian markets. These are where we are tapping into more and getting more market share in China and India," he said.
While China has reopened its borders to international travel, airlines are still slowly adding more capacity into that market.
Abu Dhabi is working with aviation stakeholders to make sure "that their ramp-up and growth strategies goes hand-in-hand with our targets", Mr Al Hosani said.
In March, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways and Asia's biggest carrier China Southern Airlines signed a preliminary pact to expand their flight codeshare agreement that will allow both partners to offer more destinations to their passengers.
Mr Al Hosani emphasised the importance of diversifying tourism source markets for sustainable growth, a key lesson learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
Abu Dhabi, home to a branch of the Louvre museum and to Ferrari World theme park, also expects to register hotel occupancy rate of 72 per cent for this year, Mr Al Hosani said. This is up from 70 per cent occupancy in its hotels 2022.
To meet the forecast growth in tourism and hospitality sectors, DCT expects 20,000 to 25,000 jobs to be created in the industry by 2026, he said.
Coming out of the pandemic, Abu Dhabi will forge ahead with a "very ambitious plan, I'm not looking for one or two-digit growth, we're looking for a game-changing initiative that will give Abu Dhabi as a destination a competitive advantage," Mr Al Hosani said.
Abu Dhabi is growing the number of leisure and business events in its calendar to increase visitors' length of stay in the city and increase the economic multiplier-effect, the official said.
"We're going to continue to protect our identity, our heritage and our language, and focus on building a culture and creative industry that supports the quality of life and supports community development," he said.
"We will also continue to promote Abu Dhabi as a culture and tourism destination."
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
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Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
