M.M.Khanna,
INVC,
Chandigarh,
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA), jointly with Indigo Airlines recently conducted their first four day familiarisation trip to the ‘emirate of distinction’ – Abu Dhabi. Twelve travel agents from North India experienced the culture and the hospitality of Abu Dhabi. The tour was a detailed portrayal of the different shades of culture & heritage, major attractions, sprawling golf courses along the coastline and the islands of the fascinating emirate. The guests experienced the archipelagic beauty of the emirate, which has a plethora of natural islands along its coastline and explored the treasure of Abu Dhabi city, which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The guests stayed at the luxurious, beachfront Shangri-La Hotel and Traders hotels on Abu Dhabi’s Khor Al Maqta which offers fabulous Abu Dhabi Canal views and overlooks the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – named by Tripadvisor as one of the world’s Top 25 landmark attractions. The conducted tour included a detailed inspection of the emirate’s expanding hotel stock and some adrenaline rushing water sports at Yas Waterworld– named by the World Travel Awards as the Middle East’s Leading Attraction. The world’s only Ferrari theme park – Ferrari World Abu Dhabi -provided exhilarating rides for the visitors. The state-of-the-art Yas Marina Circuit opened its gates for the guests to actually experience the F1 track by being taken for a drive on it! The shopaholics also discovered their den at The Galleria and the Al Wahda Mall.
Food and beverage are a significant attraction in this exotic city. The visitors feasted on an assortment of Indian, Arabian, Lebanese and Continental food and especially appreciated the ‘Dal Makahani’, available at the ‘Rosewater’ restaurant at the landmark Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. The tour gave an insight to Abu Dhabi as a family leisure/MICE destination which the travel agents can now offer with added zest and support to their clients. With this, they are better educated about the location and can guide their customers in shaping their itinerary according to their budget and areas of interest. The travel agents hosted by TCA Abu Dhabi were Ms Samina Munshi from N Chirag Travels, Mr Ranjit Vig from Caair Travels, Ms Sucheta Nagpal from Travstarz Holiday & Destination Pvt Ltd, Mr Ashwani Gupta from Dove Travels (Amritsar), Mr Aveek Ghosh from AA Travelwings (Kanpur), Mr Manish Mehra from Excel Network, Mr Mayank Maheshwari from Rainbow Vacations (Jaipur), Ms Ranjana Sharma from Trav-n-tours International, Ms Priyanka Bahukhandi from TUI India Pvt Ltd, Mr Teddy Mukkattukunnel Thomas from Oasis Express, Mr Manheer Singh Sethi from Sahibji Travels, Mr Ritesh Kumar Sharma from Sheraton Travels along with Mr Manish Marwah & Mr Subham Gulati from Indigo and Mr Bejan Dinshaw from TCA Abu Dhabi.
