UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways has signed a £2 million ($3.3 million) deal with VisitBritain in a bid to boost visitor numbers from the Asia Pacific and Middle East (APME) region.

Under the three-year partnership agreement, Etihad and Britain's national tourism agency will jointly launch marketing activities in key markets around the APME region, including India, Australia, and the GCC, said a statement from the Abu Dhabi carrier.

Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, said: “This partnership underlines the long-standing links between Etihad Airways and Britain and will help to create even greater opportunities to increase the growing number of tourists and business travellers flying to the country with us.”

Etihad’s marketing messages and Britain’s ‘Great’ campaign will be maximised throughout the partnership and the airline will also benefit from an enhanced presence on all VisitBritain digital platforms, including VisitBritain.com and associated websites, he stated.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive of VisitBritain, pointed out that there will be equal focus from both organisations on Etihad's gateways to Britain.

Using its three-times-a-day service to London Heathrow and twice daily flights to Manchester, besides regions served by its codeshare partners, the carrier has a strong customer base in the UAE, and throughout the APME region, to drive business and tourism links to Britain, added Dawe. - TradeArabia News Service