After wooing Chinese and Indian visitors in greater numbers this year, Abu Dhabi now hopes to build on growing economic ties with Japan and South Korea to grow tourism in the capital.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) is leading a six-member delegation this week to both Asian countries.
The group includes representatives from Etihad Airways, the four-star Al Mafraq Hotel near Khalifa City B, Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi in the capital's business district, the Park Hyatt Saadiyat Island, tour agency Arabian Adventures and Yas Marina Circuit.
Japanese and Korean investments in the emirate have picked up, but guest numbers from these countries have stagnated over the past four months, according to the agency.
In January, Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry attended the World Future Energy Summit and the Indian Ocean Renewable Energy Ministerial Forum in Abu Dhabi, and promised to strengthen ties in education and medical sectors as well as upstream oil development.
“While we have seen little growth from either Japan or Korea, we believe there is potential in both markets,” said Mubarak Al Nuaimi, the director of promotions and overseas offices at TCA Abu Dhabi.
The emirate’s golf offerings, a competitive average room rate of US$135, and the increased connectivity of Abu Dhabi International Airport would be among the messages he wants to send out.
The UAE’s engagement with the two countries has grown since 2009, when Korea Electric Power Company bagged a $20.4 billion project to build four nuclear reactors in the Western Region. The deal also involves Samsung and Hyundai’s construction units and Toshiba’s Westinghouse Electric.
“Currently, South Korea and Japan are not in the top 10 list of feeder markets for Abu Dhabi and for us, but there are a lot of Korean companies in the Western Region that we want to tap as a business hotel,” said Kamal Fakhoury, the chief operating officer of the Abu Dhabi-based Cristal Hospitality.
The group’s Cristal Salam Hotel opened its Korean restaurant two years ago and until last year had about five Korean interns working in the hotel’s various departments.
In the first four months of this year Abu Dhabi hotels reported 4,405 Japanese guests, who stayed just over four nights, while 4,655 Koreans checked in, staying 2.7 nights. In the first quarter, the emirate received 834,771 visitors, up 32 per cent, with guests from the UAE, India, UK and Germany comprising the largest numbers.
“Currently the business we have from [Korea and Japan] constitutes less than 10 per cent in our overall business mix,” said Mai Nasser, the area director of sales and marketing at Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi.
The tour operator Arabian Adventures offers Abu Dhabi city tour services in the Japanese language five days a week, and plans to increase the frequency in the new season.
And these are as of last year according to media reports: the Emirates hosts 271 Japanese companies and 3,486 of its citizens. There are about 300 Korean companies in the UAE and more than 12,000 Korean residents.
In 2012, Japan-UAE bilateral trade touched $52.94bn, while the figure with South Korea was $22bn.
The UAE is Japan’s second largest crude oil exporter after Saudi Arabia.
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