With the worldwide hospitality neighborhood nonetheless reeling from the affect of Covid-19, locations world wide have been searching for revolutionary methods to maintain themselves within the minds of travellers forward of borders reopening.
Whereas the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, stays closed to worldwide visitors, that has not meant officers on the native tourism board have been sitting on their palms.
As a substitute, the Division of Tradition & Tourism has labored to leverage current relationships to maintain the emirate within the public eye.
There was a concentrate on sport, with the Center Japanese vacation spot welcoming an outsized roster of top-level occasions.
As Saeed Al Saeed, vacation spot advertising and marketing supervisor with the Division of Tradition & Tourism in Abu Dhabi, tells Breaking Journey Information editor Chris O’Toole there have been alternatives even amid the ruins of the pandemic.
“When it comes to sport, we’re open for enterprise – and we’ve got made that clear,” he explains.
“It isn’t about us gathering as many sports activities as we will and dumping them into the emirate, it’s extra about cultivating long-term partnerships, permitting us to showcase the lengths we’ll go to so as to welcome the most effective occasions.”
Maybe probably the most eyebrow-raising showcase was Fight Island, an Final Preventing Championship pay-per-view that befell in June this 12 months.
Extra generally related to cities like Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi pulled out all of the stops to create a bio-secure occasion on the top of the Covid-19 shutdown.
“The UFC, for instance, is a five-year deal we signed in 2019, however that relationship allowed us so as to add Combat Island as an additional collaboration,” continues Al Saeed.
“I used to be a part of the Combat Island group personally, and we spent two weeks quarantined within the resort earlier than anyone from UFC even arrived within the vacation spot.
“We spent 5 weeks within the bubble general – an immense effort on behalf of a variety of entities to make it a actuality.
“There have been different sporting bubbles world wide, however I’m not positive anyone has gone to the extent we did – we carried out 18,000 Covid-19 exams on simply over 2,000 people.
“However the advantage of internet hosting such main occasions are evident – all people was speaking about Combat Island, which was clearly intently linked to Abu Dhabi.
“We have been capable of ship a sign, throughout the sporting world, with different governing our bodies now approaching us right here on the Division of Tradition & Tourism and over on the Abu Dhabi Sports activities Council with a view to internet hosting different occasions.
“The remainder of the world continues to be struggling to work out methods to convey sports activities again to life, and we now have some nice experience on this space.
“It put us on the map with regards to world-class sports activities inside world-class services.”
Dana White praised the organisation behind Combat Island
When it comes to advertising and marketing, the worth of the occasion additionally can’t be underestimated, drawing in new audiences from world wide and making individuals conscious of Abu Dhabi even perhaps for the primary time.
“It gave us an opportunity to showcase ourselves to an American viewers – there may be usually numerous misunderstanding there and we have been capable of start to right some misapprehension,” says Al Saeed.
“However there may be additionally an enormous following for UFC is Brazil, in Russia – numerous markets observe their very own fighters, by way of social media and pay-per-view occasions.
“This has helped us to nullify some preconceived misconceptions about Abu Dhabi and the area extra usually.
“Loads people who got here right here for the primary time have been anticipating one thing fully completely different, and ended up falling in love.”
Followers are holding out hope they can attend the F1 finale
In fact, for a lot of Abu Dhabi is synonymous with the end-of-season F1 Grand Prix, which takes place within the emirate each November.
In regular instances the race is the centrepiece of a weekend-long extravaganza, welcoming headline musical acts, hundreds of visitors and celebrities from world wide to the emirate.
Issues might be on a smaller scale this 12 months, however the race will nonetheless supply alternatives to advertise the vacation spot.
“Because it stands, we’ve got no plans for spectators on the F1 Grand Prix – there are all the time conversations, however we aren’t able to welcome them but,” mentioned Al Saeed.
“The occasion is a city-wide celebration for us, a celebration of many various pillars of our tourism providing, so having to chop that again this 12 months is a missed alternative for us.
“We lose the sporting aspect, but additionally the nightlife, the occasions.”
Nonetheless, with greater than three months to go till the race, closing plans are nonetheless being put in place.
Abu Dhabi will welcome the Indian Premier League later this month
Within the meantime, the United Arab Emirates will host the Indian Premier League, an annual sporting competitors to rival any on earth.
Happening throughout Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, the occasion will welcome the most effective cricketers to the vacation spot, drawing an viewers of hundreds of thousands from India, Pakistan and different markets.
With the gamers at the moment settling into their luxury hotels, Al Saeed tells Breaking Journey Information the fast-paced motion will supply loads to spectators.
“Combat Island was one of many components which allowed us to convey the Indian Premier League to Abu Dhabi, we performed a small position, however there was a long-established relationship there which helped.
“They knew that we have been capable of supply what they want throughout this pandemic.”
He continues: “It is a big occasion, world-class athletes from throughout the globe, from Australia, South Africa, England, in addition to India and Pakistan – the eyes of the world might be on the United Arab Emirates.
“We anticipate that individuals will as soon as once more be capable to see what we provide, how the gamers are being handled, and provides them extra confidence within the vacation spot.
“Plenty of followers are going to be actually excited in regards to the occasion, there’s a lot on supply.
“Each fan of each sport is hungry for occasions to come back again, and we’re able to offer that for them, and it’s a second of satisfaction for us.”
Friends wooed by the top-class sporting showcase will, nevertheless, have to attend till the borders of Abu Dhabi reopen earlier than they’ll go to.
Whereas neighbouring Dubai has reopened, officers within the capital are taking a extra cautious strategy.
“We do have plans to have a look at the subsequent section, to open the borders, with the related measures in place – however there isn’t any date for this as of but.
“The measures could seem excessive, however the well being and security of our individuals should come first,” concludes Al Saeed.
Extra Info
The Division of Tradition & Tourism – Abu Dhabi conserves and promotes the heritage and tradition of the emirate and leverages them within the improvement of a world-class, sustainable vacation spot of distinction, which enriches the lives of holiday makers and residents alike.
The organisation manages the tourism sector and markets the vacation spot internationally by way of a variety of actions aimed toward attracting guests and funding.
Abu Dhabi is taken into account the World’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination by voters on the World Travel Awards.
Discover out extra about visiting, when the time is true, on the official website.
