Abu Dhabi touts the emirate's travel opportunities to top Chinese travel buyers

Seventy top Chinese travel buyers recently were invited to experience the best in Arabian hospitality at a welcome reception for MeetChina 2015 at Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi.

Guests at the five-star hotel dined on a selection of authentic Chinese dishes as well as local flavors that were prepared by the Emirates Palace’s chefs; and traditional entertainment was provided by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.

Chinese visitors were treated to a traditional display of Arabian falconry, a henna tattoo artist and Ayala folk dancing.

Mubarak Al Nuaimi, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority’s director of promotions, delivered an opening address that highlighted the increasing importance of Chinese visitors to the emirate.

“In the first half of this year, some 102,217 Chinese checked into our hotels and resorts – a 72 percent increase on the first half of 2014,” Al Nuaimi said. “Chinese guests delivered 148,842 guest nights – up 41 percent year-on-year. Of course, we want more Chinese guests to experience our emirate and, when they come, we’d like them to stay longer. We most certainly have enough to entertain them.”

Al Nuaimi highlighted a number of favorite events that draw visitors from China and around the world including November’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the World Cup of Sailing.

The Welcome Reception marked the start of MeetChina 2015, a leading homegrown conference organized to bring the 70-strong group of Chinese travel buyers to meet with leading supplier, including top hoteliers. VIPs in attendance included Hua Chang, the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the people’s republic of China to the United Arab Emirates.