TCA Abu Dhabi Conducts Mega FAM Trip for Indian Travel Trade
All India, 9th October 2014 : Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) in association with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, recently conducted a Mega FAM Trip to Abu Dhabi for Indian travel trade to highlight the destinations exotic and multi-faceted offerings in sightseeing, entertainment, accommodation and unparalleled experiences.
The Mega FAM Trip comprised agents from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chennai to stimulate demand from the Indian outbound market. These are also key Etihad Airways Indian gateways. Etihad Airways will also include daily flights from Kolkata from February next year. The guests stayed in luxury accommodation, were provided ground assistance, guided tours and an overall opportunity to experience the intriguing and captivating destination. Etihad Airways provided courtesy Business Class return tickets to Abu Dhabi and back.
For all the city groups, the trip began with a tour of the unique Arabian Nights Village desert destination and its dune safari. The Delhi trade team also got the opportunity to visit Emirates Palace one of the worlds most opulent hotels. Agents were left spell-bound by the stunning architecture and luxury of this landmark property. They were also visibly excited to spend time at the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, named by TripAdvisors Travellers Choice awards as the worlds second most sought after landmark. It was felt that this should be the first property to be visited by any traveller to truly absorb the tradition, charm and soul of Abu Dhabi.
This was followed by a tour to Abu Dhabis award-winning Falcon Hospital, which was a revelation and education for most delegates. The agents were surprised to see the facilities provided and the way the UAEs National bird is nurtured and treated at the hospital.
The trip continued to the famous Yas Island Abu Dhabis entertainment destination – and the travel trade enjoyed the theme parks of Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi which are very popular with Indian travellers. The agents also visited Abu Dhabis second city the oasis city of Al Ain to experience rafting and zipline rides at the Wadi Adventure water park in the foothills of the Jebel Hafeet heights.
The travel trade also actively inspected a number of Abu Dhabis hotels, including Emirates Palace, Jumeirah Etihad Towers, Sheraton, Hilton Abu Dhabi, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi and the Al Ain Rotana. It was felt that the room sizes, quality of service and breathtaking views make for a great value for money proposition as compared to similar priced accommodation at other destinations.
The multi-award winning Gary Player designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club was a stand-out attraction for the travel agents. Golf is an established attraction among elite Indian travellers and can be easily promoted with this spectacular and breath-taking golf course on Saadiyat Island the Arabian Gulfs only ocean course.
The trip ended with a visit to the Etihad Airways Innovation Centre & Training Academy to showcase the carriers new ground-breaking product The Residence Airbus A380 a hotel suite in the sky.
Abu Dhabi is growing as a destination of choice amongst the experiential Indian travellers looking for different attractions, fresh alternatives and new activities. The FAM Trip was an important exercise by TCA Abu Dhabi in bringing the destination closer to the Indian travel trade, providing ideas for new packages and itineraries, while also making the trade more knowledgeable and interested to sell Destination Abu Dhabi effectively.
Following are the responses from some of the Mega FAM participants based on their experience in Abu Dhabi:
Shrikant K, Travel Tours, Bangalore, said, The FAM was a real eye opener to the endless possibilities Abu Dhabi has to offer for various customer segments like Honeymooners, Families, Adrenalin Seekers and Pure Refined Luxury. With ambitious projects like Louvre and Guggenheim in pipeline, Abu Dhabi is a destination to watch out for.
Sarath Menon, Riya Travels, Ahmedabad, said, It was indeed a pleasure meeting you and thanks for organising a wonderful FAM to Abu Dhabi. With the insights and information received from your team, we are hopeful of promoting more of Abu Dhabi as a standalone tourist destination in the Middle East.
Rajiv Naidu, Kuoni Travel Group, Chennai, said, At the outset would like to thank the hosts for the hospitality extended with a well-organized tour to Abu Dhabi. It was indeed a pleasure to meet all of you in person. I want to thank each one of you for making this FAM trip more meaningful. A special mention must go to the ground support, comfortable flight experience and hospitality. I loved the destination gaining more knowledge and understanding what more the destination has to offer for the tourists. I will for sure promote Abu Dhabi as a mono destination to all our future travelers.
Hetal Munshi, Flamingo Travels, Ahmedabad, said, The FAM trip was a great experience. Arabian Nights Village was such a nice place and activities were also enjoyable. Ferrari World was excellent and the roller coaster experience was just amazing. Falcon Hospital was something new. Wadi adventure was also an attractive place. Now we can promote Abu Dhabi very easily.
Payal Lugani, SOTC Kuoni Travel, Mumbai, said, It was a great experience overall. We got to know a new Abu Dhabi as I was not aware that this city has so much to offer for our clients. Luxurious Hotels like St. Regis, Ritz Carlton etc., and a great cuisine. The Arabian Night experience was outstanding; the Dune experience is far superior as compared to anywhere else. The trip to Falcon Hospital although was very special and it was great to see how well they take care of them. The hospitality given by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Etihad Airways was overwhelming.
Anil Kumar, Acma Travel, Bangalore, said, It was a wonderful FAM trip to Abu Dhabi for all of us. It was very educative to have first hand information of the destination and experience of Etihad Airways.
Atul Gupta, Shree Sati Travels, Surat, said, We never knew that there was so much in one place which we can offer to our clients. Falcon Hospital was something which we have never come across. The amount of efforts taken by man to protect the National bird was just phenomenal. The Wadi adventure was a great thing never tried by us before. Once again a big thanks on behalf of my whole team and we will surely share these with our clients and grow tourism at the maximum.
Rohan Kothari, Shajanand Travels, Ahmedabad, said, After recently attending the Abu Dhabi FAM Trip, I must say that it was the best trip ever. After this FAM, Im sure that we would be able to promote the destination better.
Kirtivasan R, Airsonic Travels, Bangalore, said,The FAM trip was a fantastic experience. The main highlight was the Arabian Nights Village which was managed very nicely. At the Wadi Adventure, the River Rafting was one of the best. All hotel inspections were very good, well managed by the courteous staff.
Kumar Baveja, Business Travels, Delhi, said, In all honesty, I found the FAM trip quite interesting. I must thank you for choosing such places of interest for the tourists. I wish all the best to Abu Dhabi Tourism for their future endeavors of destination promotion.
Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, India, TCA Abu Dhabi, commented, This was a very well thought-out initiative for the travel trade from key gateway cities in India, with a focus on familiarizing them with the destination aspects and attractions. The itineraries were planned so that participants could enjoy an up-close-and-personal experience with Abu Dhabis distinct facets.
-ENDS-
ABOUT ABU DHABI TOURISM & CULTURE AUTHORITY
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The authority manages the emirates tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The authority supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirates heritage. A key authority role is to create synergy in the destinations development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.
For more information please contact:
Pukhraj Varshneya
PR and Brand Executive
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority
India
Tel: +91 11 23737348, +91 9810871469 Fax: +91 11 23350270
Email: PVarshneya@tcaabudhabi.ae
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