Abu Dhabi, which is currently spearheading a major business tourism drive, is to dedicate a week later this year to the promotion of this lucrative industry segment.

The week, which will run from March 28 to April 3, will begin with the Gulf Meetings and Events Conference (GMEC), followed by the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) and culminate in a board meeting of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE).

All three events are being backed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) which believes a strong business tourism profile is essential to the destination’s revenue mix and will deliver heightened resilience against any global economic down-turn fall-out.

“One of our key tasks is to build a powerful business tourism proposition for Abu Dhabi and we are being strongly supported in this by both the public and private sectors, which are investing heavily in the creation of a world-class meetings, incentive, conventions and exhibitions infrastructure,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, ADTA.

“Our recent success in attracting to Abu Dhabi the 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress – the world’s longest-running medical convention – has sent a strong message to the business tourism sector that the UAE capital is a destination to be reckoned with when it comes to the staging of major international meetings. We now wish to build on this success.”

The Gulf Meetings and Events Conference will run from March 28 to 29. Being organised by Meetings Professionals International (MPI), the body representing the global meetings and events community, the event is aimed at probing opportunities for the Arabian Gulf’s business tourism industry, examining challenges and proffering solutions.

The ADTA will also stage a special ‘Abu Dhabi Day’ on March 30 when up to 200 top business tourism professionals attending GMEC and preparing for GIBTM will be hosted to an intense fact-finding tour of the UAE capital and its meetings and incentive facilities and attractions.

The annual GIBTM will run at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the Middle East’s largest and most modern exhibition complex, from March 31 to April 2.

More than 250 exhibitors are expected to take part in the event which is organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions. The show will also have a significant educational role with a daily seminar programme targeting all levels of the business tourism industry.

And on April 3, Abu Dhabi will host the first meeting of the SITE board to be held in the Middle East. The meeting, hosted by Abu Dhabi Intercontinental Hotel and the ADTA, will review and progress the association’s activities.-TradeArabia News Service