Emirates Palace has captured the imagination of international travel trade companies at the recently-held International Travel Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, signing lucrative deals with tour operators in four different European countries.

This is yet another marker of the ever-increasing popularity of Abu Dhabi’s iconic resort property, which has posted one hundred percent occupancy over the Easter holiday period, said a top hotel official.

Janet Abrahams, director of sales and marketing for Emirates Palace disclosed that the hotel had sealed important agreements with leading travel and tourism agencies in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and the UK, after Palace representatives conducted over 80 business-to-business meetings with travel and tourism operators from different parts of the world during ITB.

“The high profile participation of Abu Dhabi and the Emirates Palace at the ITB has provided an excellent opportunity to network and interact with leaders of tourism industry in the world's largest travel and tourism trade show”, she observed.

"We will sign contracts with new partners in the four European countries to send individuals and groups of leisure travelers to stay in Emirates Palace as of next tourism season," she explained.

“Emirates Palace will hold a bigger share in the European travel market due to constructive co-operation with tour operators in Germany, Switzerland and UK as well as growing the established tour agency partnerships operating in German-speaking countries. These operators specialise in, and promote elite and luxury tourism, amongst which Emirates Palace aims to be the first choice destination,” she pointed out.

According to Abrahams, the appreciating Euro will provide another factor of attracting European holidaymakers to Abu Dhabi. "Europe and especially the British and German markets top the tourist markets of Emirates Palace," she added.

Abrahams is expecting occupancy rates to hit record highs in 2009 driven by the prominent position the hotel occupies in the world luxury travel industry, and by the massive marketing and promotional campaigns conducted over the recent period.

She also commended the vital role of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Etihad Airways in promoting and boosting the tourism industry in Abu Dhabi.

Abrahams noted that the string of major cultural and artistic events hosted by the Emirates Palace in the few past months had evoked exceptional, overwhelming interest and response among major world travel and tourism agencies which expressed sincere desire to enter into tourism partnerships with the Emirates Palace.-TradeArabia News Service