More than 270,000 visitors flocked to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company’s venues in the first three months of the year, boosting the emirate’s economy by about Dh842 million.
Adnec in the capital and its sister venue Al Ain Convention Centre hosted 14 exhibitions and five conferences during the first quarter, their operator reported yesterday.
The Abu Dhabi government-owned company also acquired the ExCeL Centre in London in 2008. It is currently developing the land around Adnec and said that the exhibitions and events.
Last year, Adnec and Al Ain Convention Centre together attracted 1.6 million visitors, who in total contributed Dh2.56 billion to the economy through spending on items such as hotel stays. That was up from 1.56 million visitors who contributed Dh2.3bn in 2013, the company said.
According to the independent hotel data company STR Global, despite a flurry of new hotel openings, the average cost of a night's stay in Abu Dhabi hotels increased at the start of the year for the first time since 2010 to reach about US$169 – 12 per cent higher compared with the previous year.
Occupancy rates increased 1 per cent compared with 2014 to reach 77 per cent.
Apart from hosting events, Adnec organises the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex), which takes place in February; the World Future Energy Summit in January; the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition in September and its flagship event – the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference – in November.
In 2019, Adnec will host the World Energy Congress and the World Road Congress.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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