The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) hosted its third annual City Tourism Briefing at Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain, with 400 industry leaders. The event celebrated tourism growth, fostered collaborations, and advanced the emirate’s Tourism Strategy 2030 goals.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) celebrated significant results across industry metrics with the emirate’s leading travel and tourism partners during the third annual City Tourism Briefing, hosted at Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain Region.

The event attracted 400 participants from across the industry, including representatives of hotels, attractions, DMCs, developers and airlines. They convened to evaluate the robust growth across Abu Dhabi’s tourism and hospitality sector, foster strategic collaborations, and accelerate progress towards the ambitious goals of the emirate’s Tourism Strategy 2030.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “In collaboration with our industry partners, we have continued to drive success across every segment: culture, leisure, business, and live entertainment. The City Tourism Briefing provides a vital platform for us to celebrate these milestones with the entire ecosystem, and to align on goals and strengthen the collaboration that will further steer momentum toward the ambitions of Tourism Strategy 2030 and ensure that Abu Dhabi remains a world-leading destination shaped by innovation and excellence.”

During the briefing, DCT Abu Dhabi officials provided updates on the sector’s performance this year, revealed plans for 2026, and led presentations on the role of marketing campaigns and cultural heritage in promoting the sector locally and internationally.

A significant portion of the briefing focused on enhancing connectivity and infrastructure, highlighting the critical role of robust transport networks in supporting the emirate’s tourism objectives. A panel discussion featured transport leaders Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways; Adel Ali, Group CEO of Air Arabia; Nathalie Jongma, Vice President Aviation Development at Abu Dhabi Airports Company; and Azza Al Suwaidi, Deputy CEO of Mobility at Etihad Rail.

Etihad Airways revealed that in 2026 it will significantly expand its destination network. Celebrating similar success, Abu Dhabi Airports noted that it continues to enjoy double-dight growth.

Demonstrating Abu Dhabi’s commitment to sustainable development and investment, the briefing featured a Developers Panel Discussion, which brought together Marc Dardenne, CEO of Modon Hospitality, Kapil Aggarwal, CEO of Aldar Hospitality, and Jonathan Brown, Chief Portfolio Officer of Miral, to explore upcoming projects and investment opportunities that will further enhance the visitor experience.

During the panel each shared their enthusiasm for announced projects including Disneyland Abu Dhabi, National History Museum Abu Dhabi, enhancements to Al Ain Zoo, Harry Potter Themed Land at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi’s first Nobu hotel, the opening of Surf Abu Dhabi, and the upcoming velodrome cycling project.

Attendees learned of the emirate’s remarkable tourism growth for the year’s first 10 months, which is a testament to DCT Abu Dhabi’s strategic vision. The emirate’s hotels welcomed 4.9 million guests between January and October 2025, with average length of stay increasing to 2.8 nights. During the same period hotel revenues surged by 18% year-on-year. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) experienced a 21% year-on-year increase, and hotel occupancy remained strong at 80%. Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions also reported notable increases in hotel guests and RevPAR, showcasing the success of a diversified, emirate-wide strategy.

DCT Abu Dhabi is on a record pace for MICE events, hosting 14 mega-scale events during the first 10 months of 2025, with a pipeline of nine mega-scale events till end of 2025. Abu Dhabi is expecting to close the year with 1.75 million MICE visitors, 13% more than last year.

Aligned with DCT Abu Dhabi’s efforts to enhance the visitor experience through the introduction of numerous initiatives, Abu Dhabi’s cultural sites and museums welcomed more than 6 million visitors between January and October 2025, with approximately one million visitors attending festivals and programmes across the emirate.

Befitting the location of this year’s City Tourism Briefing in Al Ain Region, the Gulf Capital of Tourism for 2025, attendees were treated to cultural activations that included Oud and Dukhoon fragrance workshops, Ayala and Harbia dance performances, and Azi and Taghrooda poetry. The activations concluded with a Cholib horse show presented by Abu Dhabi Police during the gala dinner.

The strong performance indicators and collaborative spirit at this year’s City Tourism Briefing demonstrated the power and potential of Abu Dhabi’s unified tourism ecosystem. The progress achieved to date represents a major step towards achieving the emirate’s Tourism Strategy 2030 goals: attracting 39.3 million visitors annually, supporting the creation of 178,000 new tourism jobs, expanding hotel capacity to 52,000 rooms, and contributing AED 90 billion to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by the end of the decade.-TradeArabia News Service