Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, is leading a delegation of more than 50 of the emirate’s leading hotels, tour operators, attractions and destination management companies to Germany to participate in the ITB Berlin show, which begins tomorrow.

ITB Berlin, Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin, the world's largest tourism trade fair, is expected to be attended by 10,000 companies and organisations from 187 countries and around 180,000 visitors, which includes 120,000 trade visitors, runs until 12th March.

Among TCA Abu Dhabi’s primary objectives at the event is to develop strong partnerships and marketing initiatives with leading tour operators to enhance the emirate’s presence internationally and leverage the destination’s cruise appeal while building awareness around the authority’s global destination campaign.

During the 2015/16 cruise season, Germany contributed 56 percent of the total number of passengers to the emirate, at 91,658, while Austria’s share was 3 percent and Switzerland’s 2 percent. The cruise sector welcomed a record number of passenger arrivals during the 2015/16 season and Abu Dhabi has ambitious targets to attract a further 250,000 passengers within the next three years, targeting 450,000 passengers by 2020 and 808,000 by 2025.

As part of the international destination campaign, ‘Your Extraordinary Story’, which was rolled out globally last November, a series of sector-specific videos were also commissioned to highlight the emirate’s diverse attractions. A video showcasing the cruise sector in Abu Dhabi will be launched at ITB Berlin featuring Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach which has opened in the Western Region and is now the Arabian Gulf’s only dedicated desert island cruise stopover.

TCA Abu Dhabi has one of its 11 overseas offices based in Frankfurt, Germany, which is responsible for leading promotional drives and marketing campaigns across Europe to increase visitor numbers into the emirate.

Joining the delegation in Germany will be representatives of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the emirate’s most popular tourist attraction, while visitors to the Abu Dhabi Pavilion will also be able to learn of the emirate’s commitment to culture which is epitomised in the planned Saadiyat Cultural District. This will be home to the world’s largest single concentration of premier cultural assets including the soon-to-open Louvre Abu Dhabi, followed by Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Many of the emirate’s leading resorts and hotels will be represented in Berlin and the emirate will see the opening of a number of new hotels as the year progresses, including the 428-room Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi, the 327-room Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas Abu Dhabi and the 172-room Aloft Al Ain.

EDITION Hotels, a new luxury brand making its regional debut in Abu Dhabi, will be in attendance at ITB Berlin to meet with potential partners and develop business opportunities across Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Abu Dhabi EDITION is situated in the downtown district on the waterfront of Al Bateen Marina.

The 416-square metre Abu Dhabi Pavilion in Berlin has a new design to highlight the emirate’s diverse landscape, culture and attractions. Specific areas will be dedicated to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Danat, Souk Al Qattra and TCA Abu Dhabi’s digital department.