Tourism & Culture

Figures from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) show a 13% rise in 2012 over the previous year in terms of hotel guests staying in the emirate. This trend is expected to continue as a pipeline of new facilities to capture the corporate and conference markets, as well as fresh attractions to increase the capital’s appeal as a leisure destination, come on-stream. A shift in demand towards mid-tier accommodation is also a reflection of the changing composition of the emirate’s main source markets, with increases in visitors from India, China and Russia, showing much higher y-o-y volume increases than the steadier, single-digit growth from the more traditional European and North American source markets. This chapter contains interviews with Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Representative of the President of the UAE, and Chairman, Culture and Media Centre (CMC); and Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi.