With the re-opening of the global tourism economy, sports, culture, and MICE will spearhead Abu Dhabi’s campaign for inbound tourism this year.
Abu Dhabi is proud of its status as one of the world’s most important cultural centres. Its cultural attractions, which include the Saadiyat Cultural District, are expanding, with new additions such as the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, and Abrahamic Family House joining the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Abu Dhabi is also home to the UNESCO-designated Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud, and Oases Areas), which date back to the Neolithic period and contain relics of many prehistoric cultures, such as circular stone tombs (ca 2500 BC), wells, and a diverse range of residential, towers, palaces, and administrative buildings.
In terms of sports tourism, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will visit Abu Dhabi for the first time in October. The Etihad Arena will also host the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
With a slew of business events and conferences, the MICE industry is at the forefront of Abu Dhabi’s tourism push. The voters of the World MICE Awards named Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi as the ‘World’s Best MICE Airline 2021.’
As visitor numbers continue to rise, Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, commented that Abu Dhabi will have an exciting calendar of events, openings, and initiatives planned for what promises to be a very busy year for DCT Abu Dhabi.
He also said Abu Dhabi wants to take advantage of its expansion by presenting itself as a centre of excellence and innovation, as well as the growth of the new creative industries economy.
The government of Abu Dhabi has already committed $2.3 billion (AED8.5 billion) in support of its CCI strategy over the last five years and plans to invest another $5.98 billion (AED22 billion) over the next five years.
The launch of the emirate’s Creative Media Authority in January was the most recent milestone in the emirate’s quest to grow the entire CCI. The goal of the emirate is to establish synergies between the multimedia and creative industries, allowing the private sector to invest and expand professions in this vibrant sector. The goal is to triple the number of employments in media and entertainment to 16,000 by nurturing and attracting new talent.
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