The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed nine new joint marketing partnerships with Indian travel companies to bring 75,500 additional visitors to the emirate, widening connections with Abu Dhabi’s number one source market. 

The largest of the agreements will see MakeMyTrip bring 37,500 visitors over 18 months to the emirate. Thrillophilia (11,000) and Akbar Holidays (10,000) will deliver an additional 21,000 visitors over the same period.  

DCT Abu Dhabi also signed one-year agreements with RezLive (3,500 visitors a year), Utazzo Holidays (3,500), Holiday Tribe (3,000), TravClan (2,500), Pickyourtrail (2,500) and GNRconnect.com (2,000).

The agreements were signed at the Arabian Travel Market, where DCT Abu Dhabi showcased the emirate as a vibrant and dynamic destination offering world-class experiences across arts, culture, cuisine, entertainment, and shopping.

Collectively, visitors from India constituted Abu Dhabi’s number one overseas source market in 2025 and continues to be a primary source market in 2026. In 2025, India accounted for 13% of Abu Dhabi’s hotel guests, with the figure rising 22% year-on-year to 436,124.

Growth factors include increasing airline connections, proximity to global events including concerts and annual events like the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as well as focused marketing campaigns including those centred on Diwali and Eid as well as an ambassador campaign featuring the celebrity couple of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, DCT Abu Dhabi said. -TradeArabia News Service