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Abu Dhabi’s MICE Potential Expanding, Says Expert


Huge Career Opportunities Opening Up For Emiratis










One of the world’s leading experts in tourism’s highly lucrative Meetings, Incentive, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector says Abu Dhabi is poised to rise up the industry’s rankings with Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company’s purchase of ExCel London expanding the emirate’s global business tourism outreach. The bullish prognosis came from Tom Hulton, Director of International Relations of the International Meetings Exhibition (IMEX) who was in the UAE capital to address the first IMEX/MPI Future Leaders Forum to be held in the Middle East. The forum – a key training initiative to develop aspiring MICE professionals which has run throughout Scandinavia, Europe and the Far East– was attended by 60 Emiratis keen to explore sector career opportunities with Hulton say the potential for local employment in the specialised segment is “very strong.” “We are here to encourage Emiratis to dig deeper into the opportunities available in the tourism industry. The perception of the industry does appear to be gradually changing among the national workforce. The staging of this forum in Abu Dhabi recognises the MICE potential of this emirate and of neighbouring destinations,” said Hulton, the former Chief Executive of the International Congress and Convention Association. Hulton said Abu Dhabi now had a world-class MICE infrastructure in place with the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and its purchase and expansion of ExCel in London left the emirate “well placed to capitalise on its improved global outreach” within the US $300 billion business tourism sector. “The next step is to develop future leaders for the industry,” said Hulton. “This is a matter of training and of imparting a better understanding of what the sector is about and ensuring it is rightfully perceived as one of the most important generators of tourism revenue.” To date, Emiratis account for around one percent of the 47,700 jobs Abu Dhabi’s tourism industry directly supports, according to economic modelling undertaken by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and based on 2007 data. The authority is looking to improve the ratio to 5% by 2012. “The analysis showed tourism accounting for 4.3% of employment within Abu Dhabi emirate and 1.2% of its GDP,” explained Nasser Al Reyami, Director, Tourism Standards, ADTA. “The total tourism impact, however, which includes the direct, indirect and induced impact of tourism sees the industry accounting for 108,000 jobs and 3.6% of GDP. “ADTA is focussing heavily on the MICE segment because of its high return-on-investment ratio and the destination has been given greater sector focus with its appointment as host of the World Ophthalmology Congress in 2012, which will bring around 12,000 delegates to the emirate. “Emiratisation within the tourism sector is a priority for the ADTA and the MICE segment is one which could have major appeal to young, aspiring nationals. We are currently pursuing a campaign of educating UAE nationals on the wide variety of career opportunities open to them within the industry and believe we are making some headway as ADTA recently received 2,600 applications from Emiratis at a recent careers forum.” As part of its business tourism drive, the ADTA is dedicating the week March 28-April 3 this year to the promotion of this lucrative industry segment. The week coincides with the staging, at ADNEC, of the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM), the Arabian Gulf’s leading international trade show for the MICE industry.

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